


Curiosity Killed the Cat

by mewrose



Series: Cat Chat [5]
Category: Persona 4, Persona 5
Genre: Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, chapters with spoilers will be marked, some chapters have Royal spoilers, swearing (because Ryuji's there), this is basically a short story collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:01:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25868599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewrose/pseuds/mewrose
Summary: ...But satisfaction brought it back.A series of bonus scenes from throughout the Cat Chat timeline.Twelfth Story: The Devil’s in the Details (Part 1)Summary: Ohya knows something freaky went on during Christmas Eve, even though most people seem oblivious. But she’s not one to shy away from tough stories, and she’s determined to get the scoop on this one.
Series: Cat Chat [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813609
Comments: 71
Kudos: 250





	1. Are these guys bottomless pits or something?

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I’m now writing a third ongoing fic in this series! Because I have a lot of ideas that won’t fit in either of the other two, and I need to make them happen. Also because Cat ‘o Nine Tales addresses some heavier themes, and sometimes I need to write something lighter. Co9T should be considered the “main” fic for now, while this fic and Phantom Felines will be updated as inspiration strikes. 
> 
> This fic will be a series of one-shots, with each chapter functioning like a separate fic within this series. They may not be in chronological order, depending on what I get the urge to write, so I’ll make sure to indicate what date every scene takes place in.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Man, how can Ren and Yu even eat that much? Is it a Wild Card thing?

10/11  
Evening  
Destinyland

Destinyland was the best!

Ryuji had never been to the park before. The place was damn expensive, and if he’d wanted to go to a park or something, there were cheaper options, like Dome Town. Besides, it was supposed to be really crowded all the time, so all the good attractions had really long lines. But not tonight! Not only did they get in for free, but they had the whole park to themselves, thanks to Haru. Being a Phantom Thief rocked!

They started with all those famous rides that even Ryuji had heard about, since people always talked about them. Like Pirates of the Atlantic, the ride that got turned into that movie series. And Splash Mesa, which thankfully didn’t leave them as wet as it sounded they would be. And there were a whole bunch of rides themed after the cartoon movies that looked really kiddy, but turned out to be pretty fun, like that space ranger shooting thing. Turned out all their target practice in the Metaverse didn’t help that much with shooting the weird-ass blaster things attached to the cars of the ride. Ren still got the highest score, and Yu actually did pretty badly, probably because he’d never fought with guns like the rest of them.

And the food was all free, too! In between rides, Ryuji kept getting snacks. There was a crazy amount of food shaped like the company mascot, and it actually all tasted pretty good. Then at the end of the day when everyone met up to watch the fireworks together, he found that the park staff had pulled out a table and piled it with even more food so they could have dinner while watching the light show. This was real VIP treatment, not even the regular visitors got that!

It was like a private buffet that kept on being refilled, with no time limit on how long they could stay there. Ann spent the whole time eating sweets. Futaba went for curry, even though she kept complaining it wasn’t as good as Boss’s. And of course Yusuke was excited as hell to be able to just eat as much as he wanted, but even he got full eventually. Everyone did. Except Ren and Yu. They just kept going!

Ryuji wasn’t exactly keeping track of how much the two were eating, but when he was sure Ren was starting on at least his fourth plate, he asked, “Man, how in the hell do you two eat that much?”

Everyone else stopped what they were talking about to look over at him. “What do you mean?” Makoto asked.

Ryuji looked at them in surprise. “What, have none of you noticed? I mean, even effing _Yusuke_ got full, but these guys don’t look like they’ve even slowed down.” He waved a hand at Ren and Yu, who had paused eating to look at each other.

Then Ren shrugged. “I mean, I haven’t eaten the equivalent of a Cosmic Tower Burger yet, so I’ve still got room.”

Yu tilted his head, looking puzzled, then his face brightened. “Oh! That Big Bang Challenge thing. I tried that once, a while back.” He nodded and said, “It’s not bad, but I’d take Aiya’s Rainy Day Mega Beef Bowl Challenge any day.”

“Rainy mega what now?” Ryuji asked, and Yu pulled out his phone.

As he tapped at the screen he explained, “Back home there’s a Chinese diner called Aiya’s, and on rainy days they offer a special super-sized beef bowl. If you can finish the whole thing at once, it’s free. But most people never can.” He held out his phone, showing the Thieves a picture, and they crowded around to get a look.

“Holy shit!” Ryuji yelled as he stared at the picture. Yu was sitting at a table in front of a bowl the size of his head, piled with a mountain of beef. He swiped to the next picture, showing him halfway through consuming the pile of meat, and they still couldn’t see the rice. One more pic showed the bowl completely empty, with Yu sitting back and looking pleased with himself.

Everyone else was all shocked too, but Ren just studied the picture and said, “I bet I could beat that.”

Yu shrugged and put his phone away. “If you’re even in Inaba on a rainy day, find Aiya’s and give it a try. It’s the only diner in town, you can’t miss it. Just be aware that if you can’t finish the Mega Beef Bowl, it’s 3,000 yen.”

“Sounds like a challenge,” Ren said, wearing his Joker smirk.

Morgana piped up, “And if it’s that valuable, it’s a Treasure worth taking. Joker, we need to go after it sometime!”

Ryuji scoffed at the cat. “What’re you talking about ‘we?’ It’s not like you’d be doing any of the eating.”

Morgana puffed up, looking annoyed. “Hey, we’re a team! His victory is our victory!”

Ren ignored them and went back to eating. Ann was watching him now, looking puzzled, and finally asked, “Hey, how _are_ you eating that much? None of us could manage nearly that much when we went to the buffet after Kamoshida.”

Ren twirled his chopsticks in one hand and said, “Practice. Starting with the lower levels of the Big Bang Challenge helped.”

“What buffet was that?” Haru asked, looking interested.

“Oh, right! You probably hadn’t heard about that.” Ann said. “After me, Ren, Morgana and Ryuji stole Kamoshida’s Treasure, we sold the Treasure - which turned out to be a copy of his Olympic gold medal - and used the money to go to a fancy buffet to celebrate. It was amazing!”

Ryuji grinned at the memory. “Me ‘n Ren ate so much we just about popped. I kinda felt sick afterward, but in a good way.” He looked over at Ren and said, “Bet you could eat that much now and not even blink, though.”

Futaba eyed the plates in front of Yu and Ren, then grinned wickedly. “I wonder, if we brought you two to a buffet and held an eating contest, how long do you think it'd be before the staff kicked us out?”

Ren’s grin matched Futaba’s exactly as he looked at Yu. “Wanna try it sometime?”

Yu laughed and shook his head. “Maybe we shouldn’t try to get kicked out of places. How about instead we do that Big Bang Challenge together, see which of us can finish it first.”

Ren’s grin got even wider. “You’re on. I’ve earned the Captain’s badge more than once, I’ve got the technique down pat.”

Yu’s smile was smaller, but just as confident. “Pick a time and we’ll see who comes out on top.” Then he went back to his food.

Everyone talked about other things for a while, but they kept glancing over at Ren and Yu continuing to eat. When they started to refill their plates _again_ , Makoto looked kind of green.

“How _do_ you keep consuming that much?” she asked. “I’ve never seen anyone else eat like that. Is it...I don’t know, some kind of Wild Card ability?”

Yu had to think about that. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything to suggest that, but it could be possible.” He shrugged and added, “I suppose the only way to find out would be to find another Wild Card and ask them.”

Futaba cackled. “Oh, that would be _fun._ Imagine if we got three guys like them together for an eating contest. You could shut down a small restaurant with that kind of power!”

Yu sat up, placed a hand over his heart and said seriously, “I shall make it my solemn duty to ensure that this power will never be used for evil.”

And what do you even say to something like that? Eventually the two did finish eating and everyone talked about other things for a while. Then the press conference happened, and nobody was in the mood to talk about much of anything. So everyone went home, and the damn huge appetites of the Wild Cards was forgotten until several days later.

* * *

Sunday, 10/16  
Morning

**Phantom Thieves Group Chat**

**Joker:** Jack, my sworn rival, the time has come. I challenge you to face me in the ultimate trial by burger. Will you dare to oppose me in culinary combat?  
**Queen:** What are you going on about?  
**Jack:** Long have I waited for this day. At last we shall prove once and for all who is the master of the art of consumption.  
**Skull:** Wait, is this what I think it is?  
**Joker:** I shall make you eat your words! Meet me at high noon on Central Street, and we will find who the true master is!  
**Skull:** Aw yeah, this is it! Time for the Big Bang Burger Challenge face-off!  
**Jack:** I humbly accept your challenge. Prepare yourself!  
**Oracle:** OMG this is the most Extra invitation to go get lunch together I’ve ever seen.  
**Panther:** This is going to be fun, though! I’ll be there, I have to see this!  
**Fox:** It does sound like it could be inspiring. I will be there as well.  
**Noir:** I’m getting excited! I hope to see everyone there!

* * *

10/16  
Daytime  
Central Street

“I am so effing _pumped_ for this!”

Ryuji had gotten to the Big Bang Burger on Central Street a little bit early, because there was no way in hell that he’d miss this. Everyone else showed up one or two at a time, and it turned out Ryuji didn’t need to worry about missing anything, because Yu and Ren waited until everyone got there before going into the fast food joint.

Now the Thieves were crowded around a couple of tables, waiting for the staff to prepare the towering burgers. Ryuji was getting ready to cheer on his best friend as soon as the food arrived.

The other Thieves were just as eager to encourage their leader. Shouts like “You got this, Ren!” and “Yeah, show him who’s boss!” filled the room. Ren was wearing his Joker smirk, while Yu...wait, was he pouting?

“Is nobody on my side?” he asked, sounding pitiful. Or wait...maybe he was exaggerating? This didn’t seem like something that’d actually bother him.

Ryuji decided not to worry about it and scoffed. “Hey, no way am I betting against Ren. That’d make me a pretty shitty best friend, right?”

Futaba said, “Yeah, you may have crazy-high stat levels, but he’s still our leader. Of course we’d stand by him!” Yu pouted his lips out even more at that and OK yeah he was just playing. There was no way an expression like that was real.

Haru giggled. “Well, I’ll cheer you on, Yu-kun. It just doesn’t seem nice to have nobody betting on you.”

Yu brightened up and smiled at Haru, “Thanks, I really appreciate it,” he told her.

Ryuji realized that both he and Haru had mentioned betting, but there wasn’t actually a bet going on. Why not fix that? Grinning, he asked, “Hey, why don’t we make this challenge more interesting?”

Makoto eyed him warily. “What exactly do you have in mind?”

Ryuji’s grin got wider. “I mean right now, the only thing the winner gets is bragging rights. Why don’t we bet on the outcome? Like...loser has to do something embarrassing?”

A couple people looked sceptical, but Ann looked interested. “Like what?” she asked.

Shit, Ryuji hadn’t thought that far yet. “Like..” he said, looking around the room for ideas, then noticed Yusuke had a sketchbook out already. A lightbulb went off in his head and he said, “Loser has to model for Yusuke in whatever pose he wants!”

Yusuke looked up from his sketchbook to study the two Wild Cards. “I am always in search of more inspiration. I am not opposed to this idea.”

Ren smirked at Yu. “I don’t mind raising the stakes if you don’t.”

Yu raised an eyebrow at him. “Considering there were no stakes to start with, I don’t mind _setting_ the stakes.”

Ren smirked wider. “Even if it means the loser has to pose naked?”

Yu gave Ren a confident little smile. “Even if the loser has to recreate the Birth of Venus.”

“Now that is a fascinating idea,” Yuskue said, and started sketching something.

Now two staff members were carrying over trays with their challenge burgers, so Ren held out a hand. “Then it’s a bet.” Yu took the hand and shook it firmly, then turned to face the massive tower of food that had been set in front of them.

The staff member gave the signal to start, and the two Wild Cards dug in. Ren practically shoved his face into the side of the burger, while Yu started by picking up the top layers and eating his way down. They seemed to completely ignore all the Thieves cheering around them. Just like the group had said, most of them cheered for Ren, though Haru cheerfully encouraged Yu. Yusuke was the only one to stay silent, and kept sketching at a frantic-looking pace.

It was a super tense race. Ren started out eating faster, but slowed down partway through, while Yu stayed at a steady pace the whole time. Ryuji had to admit that this was probably an endurance run, not a sprint, so pacing yourself was probably the way to go. He still cheered for Ren, though.

As they got near the end of their burgers, the difference between them got smaller and smaller. They shoved the last bite in their mouths at almost the same time, chewed, swallowed, then sat back in unison, though Yu opened his mouth to show there was no food left while Ren threw up one hand to show his triumph.

The Thieves erupted with cheers and clapping, congratulating the two on finishing. When they started to quiet down, Ann asked, “So who won?”

That made everyone go silent and look back and forth between the two competitors. They stared for a bit before Futaba threw back her head and groaned.

“I should have recorded it! Then we could have gone frame by frame to see who swallowed first!” she griped.

Yu shrugged and asked Ren, “Call it a tie?”

Well, that was no fun! So Ryuji said, “Aw, but then we don’t get to make someone model for Yusuke!”

The artist looked up from what he’d been drawing. “If that is the only consideration, then I feel further modeling is not necessary, as the contest has provided ample inspiration. It may not necessarily be a depiction of beauty, but I do believe I’ve captured the essence of competition.” He laid his sketchbook down on the table, and everyone crowded around to see what he’d drawn.

“Daaaamn!” Ryuji said. It was a really detailed picture of the two in the middle of eating, their burgers half gone. Ren was shoving more burger in his face, while Yu was chewing, cheeks bulging. Both had super intense looks on their faces. Ryuji didn’t know anything about art, but even he could feel the tension in the picture.

“Wow, that’s really well done, Yusuke,” Makoto said. “I’m impressed that you managed to capture the moment so well, particularly since they kept moving.”

“Yeah, that’s really good,” Ren said, nodding. He looked over at Yu and said, “Tie works for me. Well done,” and held out a hand to Yu, who took it and shook it.

Since they’d both already won the badges for this challenge, the restaurant’s reward for finishing the burgers was a sack of 10 regular Big Bang Burgers each. Which meant the group ended up with a pile of 20 burgers to share. After watching that nauseating display of gluttony, everyone could only manage to eat one, so they gave half the rest to Yusuke and split what was left to take home.

They all went their own way after that, with Ren and Yu saying they were headed home. Ryuji figured they probably needed to nap off their massive meals. They might not have settled anything about their weird appetites, but it sure was a damn good show!


	2. Sleight of Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s no way a certain “detective prince” can be allowed to find out about the honorary Phantom Thief. The Thieves need to do some shuffling to keep their Jack out of play.

10/25  
Daytime  
Shujin Academy

The Phantom Thieves first realized they had to keep Akechi from finding out about Yu the day before the traitor worked his way onto the team.

When the Thieves all decided to go to Shujin’s school festival together, they invited Yu to come along with them. He had a morning class and couldn’t be there for the start of it, but he promised to join them as soon as he was free. So the teens started without him, visiting the various stalls and attractions and enjoying themselves.

They’d just decided to get takoyaki at Ann and Ren’s classroom when they got a message in the group chat.

 **Jack:** I’m done with class for the day, so I’m on my way to the train station. I need to get off at the Aoyama-Itchome station, right?  
**Queen:** That’s correct. Take a left out of the station, you’ll see signs for Shujin Academy.  
**Queen:** The student council made sure to make it as easy as possible for people to find the school for the festival.  
**Jack:** Great, I appreciate that. Where should I meet you?  
**Panther:** Outside class 2-D. We’re getting takoyaki!  
**Jack:** Nice, I’ll be just in time for lunch, then. I’ll see you soon.

* * *

10/25  
Afternoon  
Shujin Academy

When Yu got to the school and found the correct classroom, he spotted a familiar group sitting around a cluster of desks pushed together to form a table. He smiled and waved as he approached, but his expression grew more solemn when he noticed that they looked to be varying degrees of concerned or upset. “Hey, did something happen?” he asked as he came up to the table.

“It’s that damn Akechi,” Ryuji growled, which didn’t really answer Yu’s question. He looked around the group to see if anyone else could give a more eloquent response.

Makoto provided one. “You’ve heard that Akechi is going to be the festival’s guest speaker tomorrow, correct?” When Yu nodded, she continued, “Well, he came by today to look around, and stopped by our table a few moments ago. He’d been suspicious of us for some time, so we’ve been wary around him. We’re all a bit on edge now.”

A couple others nodded, but Futaba chimed in. “And when he saw us, he said ‘everyone’s all here.’ That ‘everyone’ bothers me.”

The group looked at each other in uneasy silence for a moment before Ryuji said, “It’s probably nothing, right?” but even he didn’t sound convinced.

Ren looked around the group, then up at Yu and said, “I don’t think Akechi will be back today, but just in case, maybe you shouldn’t hang around with us today. I wouldn’t want him to be suspicious of you, too.”

Yu found it somewhat disappointing that he wouldn’t be able to spend time with his friends, but he understood the logic, so he nodded. There would be other chances to do things together. “Fair enough, then,” he said. “Think I should just leave?”

Makoto shook her head. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Feel free to enjoy yourself at the festival, but it’ll have to be without us.”

“Alright then,” Yu said. “And I’ll skip coming tomorrow then, since he’s sure to be here.”

There was a round of agreements at that. Then Yu said his farewells and headed off to check out the festival.

* * *

10/26  
Evening

**Phantom Thieves Group Chat**

**Skull:** THAT BASTARD!  
**Jack:** Who?  
**Panther:** Akechi.  
**Jack:** I should have guessed. What happened?  
**Oracle:** He found us out.  
**Queen:** He has evidence of us entering the Metaverse, and he can enter it as well. He’s attempting to coerce us into working with him.  
**Noir:** Akechi-kun asked to speak to all of us at once, but I did notice that he didn’t mention that Jack was not present.  
**Fox:** Does that mean he’s not aware of Jack’s existence?  
**Joker:** And we need to keep it that way. Akechi’s lying about how long he’s had a Persona.  
**Skull:** For real? How can you tell?  
**Joker:** Remember when we first met him, at the trip to the TV station? He commented that he’d heard us say something about pancakes, but Mona’s the only one who mentioned pancakes.  
**Panther:** So he could hear Mona way back then?  
**Queen:** That trip was months ago, wasn’t it?  
**Joker:** Right. So he can’t have gained a Persona a month ago, like he claimed.  
**Joker:** I’m still considering whether to work with him or not, but no matter what, we can’t let him find out about Jack.  
**Joker:** We don’t know what he’s after, and we don’t know what will happen if he finds out there are more Persona-users besides us.  
**Skull:** Oh shit, you’re right.  
**Queen:** We’ll have to be very careful of what we say around Akechi, and pretend we’ve never heard of the existence of other Persona-users.  
**Fox:** I sincerely hope that someone who shall remain nameless will be able to control their impulses.  
**Skull:** Why are you calling me out again!  
**Fox:** I named no names.  
**Jack:** I’ll be sure to keep my distance from you all, then.  
**Noir:** That would be best.  
**Jack:** It’s a shame we didn’t get to hang out at the festival. Let me know when the coast is clear again.  
**Joker:** If we decide to work with Akechi, we’ll need to make a separate “Phantom Thieves” chat that doesn’t include Jack, and invite Akechi to that one.  
**Joker:** Everyone would need to watch what they’re posting in the fake Thieves chat.  
**Oracle:** Oh! I could populate the fake chat with some conversations from the real chat that don’t mention Jack, so Akechi doesn’t get suspicious about joining an empty chat.  
**Oracle:** And we’d want to change the icon for this chat to something new, so people don’t get confused.  
**Jack:** How about a cat?  
**Panther:** We already have one for the cat chat icon.  
**Jack:** A different cat?  
**Noir:** Maybe something more distinct so we don’t confuse this chat for the cat chat.  
**Skull:** A Cosmic Tower burger?  
**Joker:** That would just make me hungry every time I see it.  
**Queen:** I can’t believe you can look at that and feel hungry instead of nauseated.  
**Oracle:** How about a pic of glasses?  
**Panther:** Yeah, like a photo of Joker’s glasses on a table or something! That’s a reference to Jack that only we would get.  
**Fox:** I believe I could arrange a pleasing composition for such a picture.  
**Fox:** A pair of glasses resting on a polished countertop beside a steaming cup of coffee, the shelves behind them filled with jars of coffee beans…  
**Fox:** Yes, I can see it now! Joker, I will be at Leblanc at once and I’ll need to borrow your glasses.  
**Oracle:** Inari, we haven’t decided if we even need to make a separate chat yet!  
**Oracle:** ...He’s already logged off.  
**Oracle:** Whatever. Joker, let me know if you want me to start making the fake chat.  
**Joker:** Right, I’ll keep you all posted.

* * *

10/28

**Phantom Thieves Group Chat has been changed to Cats and Coffee**  
**group icon for Cats and Coffee has been changed**

* * *

11/6  
Daytime  
Hideout

The Phantom Thieves had gathered in Ren’s room to discuss their next Mementos run. They were in the middle of reviewing all the requests they’d gathered when every phone in the room besides Akechi’s pinged with an incoming chat notification.

Futaba pulled out her phone first, and promptly snickered at the sight of the message.

“What is it?” Makoto asked, while Ann also reached for her phone.

“Funny gif in the cat chat,” Futaba said, her eyes still glued to the screen. That prompted half the rest of the group to reach for their phones as well. Ren instead looked at Akechi, and found the brown-haired boy was frowning.

“Cat chat?” Akechi asked.

“Group chat for cat pictures,” Ren explained nonchalantly. He really hoped Akechi would leave it at that.

Unfortunately for Ren, the detective had noticed a few unusual reactions to his simple question. Ann, who had been smiling at whatever was on her phone, immediately blanched. Ryuji looked like he’d been caught at something and stuffed his phone back in his pocket. Futaba buried her face behind the screen of her laptop, though that wasn’t exactly unusual. And while Haru and Makoto’s reactions were less overt, they did both look sidelong at Akechi.

It seemed that this “cat chat” warranted further inquiry. Akechi looked around the group and said, “Judging by the simultaneous notification sounds, you are all part of that chat, correct?” A pause before Makoto nodded. “And since _all_ your phones received the notification, someone other than you posted the message.”

“It’s an internet friend of mine who likes cats,” Futaba said, though she didn’t lift her face from her screen. “I thought everyone needed more cats in their lives so I added them all to the chat.”

“You want in?” Ren asked, looking at his own phone now. “You can enjoy cat memes, photos of Morgana, and gems like this with us.” He turned the screen to Akechi, allowing him to see a looping gif of a fuzzy kitten bouncing around a tub full of ping-pong balls.

It was the kind of drivel Akechi would be required to fawn over in his charismatic Detective Prince role. He hated it on principle. So he didn’t bother to conceal the disgust on his face as he said, “That won’t be necessary.”

Ren shrugged, said, “Suit yourself,” and turned the phone to show the gif to Morgana. “We should record you doing something cute like this, you’d be internet famous on cat meme sites in no time.”

“I’m not a cat!” the cat protested. “And I wouldn’t be caught dead doing anything like that. I’m far too suave for such things!”

Ryuji grinned. “C’mon, you go nuts for shiny gold stuff, right? If we had some ping-pong balls that were colored polished gold, you’d be acting just like that kitten.”

Every word regarding cats was making Akechi more irritated. “Can we forget the gif and get back to discussing Mementos?” he snapped.

The conversation turned back to planning, while Ren was silently smug. They’d successfully misdirected Akechi away from wondering about the cat chat. He’d have to thank Futaba and Ryuji later, and apologize to Morgana for teasing him.

* * *

11/6  
Evening

**Cats and Coffee**

**Joker:** New rule: never talk about the cat chat in Crow’s presence.  
**Jack:** I take it there’s a story behind this.  
**Skull:** You sent that gif at the wrong time.  
**Panther:** Skull, be nice! He couldn’t know we were meeting with Crow just then.  
**Jack:** Sorry, did I cause some trouble for you?  
**Oracle:** Ignore the bonehead. Crow’s just chronically suspicious and wondered what was up when all our phones pinged at once.  
**Joker:** Thankfully we were able to distract him until he got annoyed at us talking about cat stuff.  
**Joker:** By the way, thanks for the assist, Oracle and Skull.  
**Oracle:** No prob!  
**Skull:** Wait, how’d I help?  
**Joker:** You teasing Mona worked in our favor this time.  
**Joker:** But if Crow ever hears about the cat chat again, we should find some other way to distract him.  
**Queen:** While I’d prefer if we remained cautious so that such a slip doesn’t happen again, I agree we ought to consider contingency plans.  
**Oracle:** And maybe we should all mute notifications on the cat chat for now.  
**Joker:** So here’s the plan for if Crow hears about the cat chat again: Annoy him until he wants us to shut up about it.  
**Queen:** That’s not much of a plan.  
**Joker:** But we’ve already seen it works.  
**Joker:** Seriously, mention Jack as little as possible and just keep talking about cats.  
**Noir:** Oh, I think I get it. If it sounds like we’re trying to avoid the subject, he’ll get more suspicious.  
**Noir:** But if we appear to be talking about the subject and actually avoid what we don’t want him to know, then it will be hard to notice the omission.  
**Joker:** Eloquently put, Noir.  
**Joker:** Also, I just want to annoy Crow.  
**Skull:** Now that’s a reason I can get behind!  
**Fox:** I see. Should we start stockpiling anecdotes about cats?  
**Jack:** I can share plenty of cat trivia!  
**Oracle:** I can post more memes!  
**Jack:** Did you know Grumpy Cat is actually a female cat named Tardar Sauce, and her permanently grumpy expression is caused by a form of dwarfism?  
**Joker:** I think we have plenty of conversation fodder in the cat chat already.  
**Joker:** Also, keep the cat trivia to the cat chat so we can find it if we need it.  
**Jack:** Got it.  
**Queen:** Oh, Jack’s nickname in the cat chat is rather close to his real name. We may want to change that in case Crow happens to see the cat chat on someone’s phone.  
**Joker:** Good thinking. Any ideas?  
**Noir:** Perhaps Cat-sensei, since he knows so much about cats?  
**Fox:** If we’re going that route, perhaps Prof. Cat would be suitable.  
**Oracle:** Or Cat Sage!  
**Jack:** Oh, I rather like Cat Sage.  
**Joker:** Then from now on, you shall be known as the wisest of cats.  
**Jack:** It’s all I’ve ever wanted.

* * *

11/12  
Afternoon

**Phantom Thieves Group Chat**

**Skull:** Hey Jack, did you ever get to try that restaurant you were talking about?  
**Crow:** Who’s Jack?

\---

**Cats and Coffee**

**Panther:** Skull, you posted in the wrong chat!  
**Skull:** Oh shit.  
**Oracle:** You need to be more careful! This is why we switched the group name and icon!  
**Skull:** Hey, I’m sorry, but it was an accident!  
**Joker:** Guys, we can’t leave Crow hanging or he’ll get more suspicious. Remember the plan: annoy him with cats until he tells us to stop!

\---

**Phantom Thieves Group Chat**

**Oracle:** Jack’s my friend from the cat chat. Skull just posted in the wrong chat.  
**Crow:** Why would he be asking about a restaurant in a group about cat pictures?  
**Oracle:** It was a cat cafe.  
**Panther:** Hey, have any of you guys ever been to a cat cafe? They sound really cute!  
**Joker:** I live in a cafe and have a cat. Does that count?  
**Noir:** But Mona-chan says he’s not a cat.  
**Joker:** Right, sorry Mona. And cafe-with-a-human-in-cat-shape doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.  
**Queen:** Besides which, isn't part of the appeal of a cat cafe that you have the chance to interact with many different cats?  
**Oracle:** Oh, maybe we could make Leblanc into a cat cafe! There’s plenty of stray cats in the neighborhood that we could take in!  
**Fox:** I somehow doubt that Boss would permit his establishment to become overrun with cats.  
**Noir:** Not to mention there are rather strict health regulations regarding restaurants that have animals on the premises.  
**Skull:** If real cats won’t work, why not get Boss to bake cookies in the shape of cat heads?  
**Panther:** Oh my god, that would be adorable!  
**Panther:** He could do a whole bunch of cat sweets!  
**Oracle:** Cupcakes with cat ears!  
**Noir:** Little custard tarts with cat faces made of fruit!  
**Joker:** Cat-shaped pancakes!  
**Queen:** Perhaps latte art with cat faces?  
**Fox:** I have seen some very elaborate culinary creations crafted out of spun sugar and piped chocolate.  
**Fox:** Do you think Boss would be capable of using such techniques to craft a cat dessert?  
**Oracle:** Nah, I don't think he's got the manual dexterity for that.  
**Joker:** But if he made cat head-shaped brownies, I bet he could make a little Mona face with some blue candies, powdered sugar, and maybe a stencil.  
**Noir:** That sounds precious! Does anyone know how to bake? I would love to try a Mona brownie.  
**Queen:** It’s been some time since I baked, but I’m proficient at basic cooking. I could probably make a simple batch of brownies.  
**Panther:** Let’s have a baking party! If we get a cat cookie cutter, it shouldn’t be too hard, right?  
**Joker:** If we’re already getting a cookie cutter, let’s make cookies, too.  
**Skull:** Do we have to just make sweets? We could make rice balls in the shape of cats, right?  
**Noir:** Oh, and we could use the cookie cutter to cut bread in cat shapes and make cat sandwiches!  
**Oracle:** We could have a whole cat food party!  
**Fox:** I wholeheartedly approve of any gathering that involves food.  
**Joker:** Crow, you want to join us for a cat food party?

\---

**Cats and Coffee**

**Fox:** It’s been a while since Crow said anything.  
**Oracle:** Yeah, he logged off a couple minutes ago.  
**Oracle:** I let everyone keep going for maximum annoyance and obfuscation.  
**Joker:** Good call. I think we can wind down now, though.  
**Joker:** Let’s plan a date for the cat food party and leave it at that.  
**Jack:** Cat food party?  
**Panther:** We’re annoying Crow by proposing we have a party where we make lots of food in the shape of cats.  
**Jack:** If you do have that party, I want pics!

* * *

The Thieves managed to avoid mentioning Jack or the cat chat in Akechi’s presence for the rest of the time he was working with them. After he left, the fake Phantom Thieves chat was abandoned, and eventually the real chat regained its rightful name. However, Yusuke insisted that the chat kept the new icon, because he was quite proud of the photograph he’d taken.


	3. The Heirophant’s Heartache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sojiro’s been worrying about his kids since he first heard about the Phantom Thieves thing. Having Ren come back bruised and blank-eyed only made him worry more, and he has no idea what to do about it all. But it turns out one of Ren’s friends knows someone he can talk to who’s been in a similar situation.
> 
> (aka Chapter 5 of Cat o’ Nine Tales from Sojiro’s perspective.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like Chapter 5 of Cat o’ Nine Tales, this takes place immediately after the in-game interrogation. However, this one makes only vague references to the events of the interrogation.

Sojiro had never intended to have kids.

He’d never been one to be tied to any one woman. For Wakaba he’d considered it, but when she turned him down, that was that. He’d planned to fly solo forever; no wives, no kids, no attachments.

But when Wakaba died and he found out how badly Futaba had been treated, he couldn’t just leave her like that. He felt he owed it to Wakaba to look out for her daughter, and he’d spent so much time with the both of them that she was practically his family anyway. So he took Futaba in, adopted her, and did his best to take care of her. She was the daughter he never expected to have, but was surprisingly proud when she called him “dad.”

So how had he ended up taking care of a second kid? His reasons for taking Ren in were even more nebulous, but somehow he ended up with the care of a violent criminal who he would not let anywhere near Futaba. But it turned out the “violent” part was false, and as for “criminal,” well…

Was stealing hearts even a real crime? And by the time he found out that was a thing that could actually happen, Ren was as good as family, and both his kids turned out to be thieves of hearts. Ones who had stolen Futaba’s heart and cured what seemed incurable, so he couldn’t think the Thieves were necessarily bad.

But whether the theft of hearts was good, bad, or otherwise, it was apparently very dangerous. Every time the kids went out on their business, Sojiro worried about them. When they came back tired but fine, he was relieved. Until they went out again.

One day Ren didn’t come back. Futaba assured him it was fine, but he worried anyway. Any good parent would, if their kid didn’t come home from doing something dangerous. When the news said the leader of the Phantom Thieves had committed suicide, Sojiro practically felt his heart stop. 

Sojiro had never intended to have kids, but when one of them was pronounced dead, he felt like a part of himself had died.

He was both relieved and distraught when, mere moments after the announcement, there was a knock on the door and Ren was returned to him; bruised, drugged, exhausted, but very much alive. As he got Ren tended to and settled in bed, he thought the worst of the ordeal would be past.

It turned out that there was something arguably worse than hearing his boy was dead and then finding him alive: finding that his body was alive, but his eyes were completely dead. Ren moved mechanically, spoke and ate little, rarely moved unless told to, and generally acted like an empty puppet. It was harder to deal with than when Futaba shut herself away from the world. Sojiro just didn’t know what to do besides make sure the boy got food and medicine.

Why was it that both of the kids he’d never intended to have seemed determined to break his heart?

* * *

11/21  
Daytime  
Leblanc

Sojiro tried to go about his day, tending to the cafe and serving the few customers who came in. He tried to pretend everything was normal and keep a low profile, so nobody had any reason to look closer at him or the cafe. But he kept a very close eye on the clock, and when the right amount of time had passed, he’d immediately head up to the attic with food and medicine for Ren.

It seemed Ren was always in exactly the last place that Sojiro had seen him. He couldn’t tell if the kid had moved at all when he wasn’t looking. Oh, the boy would react well enough when Sojiro talked to him; he’d answer questions asked of him, or take his medicine when told. But he seemed to have no desire to move under his own power.

Sojiro had called Dr. Takemi to inform her of Ren’s behavior and ask if there was anything he could do. She’d said, “It sounds like he could be in shock. Not unreasonable, given the circumstances. I unfortunately have some appointments scheduled today so I can’t come over right now, but I’ll stop by to check on him after the clinic closes for the evening. Let him rest for now, see if he recovers on his own, and call me if anything changes.” Sojiro thanked her, but he privately was not optimistic for the chances of Ren showing any improvement on his own.

So it was something of a surprise when part-way through washing a load of dishes, Sojiro heard Ren’s footsteps on the stairs. Reflexively he looked around the cafe to make sure nobody was around, then stepped up beside the counter so he could see Ren. The boy didn’t bother coming all the way down the stairs and instead stopped once he could see Sojiro. Leaning on the railing, he reported, “A friend of mine is coming over. You don’t know him. Yu Narukami, tall guy with grey hair. It’s fine to let him up, I trust him.”

Sojiro raised an eyebrow. While he was glad Ren was doing _something_ of his own volition, it seemed like a very unwise decision to allow anyone besides his doctor or one of his closest friends (who he figured at this point were all Thieves) to see him. So he asked, “You sure about that? You know how precarious your position is now. The less people who know about you, the better.”

Ren nodded. “He knows everything.” Both of Sojiro’s eyebrows shot up at that. What did he mean by “everything?” Was this Narukami a Thief too, even though he’d never seen the guy hanging out with the rest of them? Ren didn’t elaborate though, and just turned to go back upstairs. 

As Sojiro’s brows started to furrow in concern, he felt something brush against his ankles. Looking down, he found Morgana was rubbing up against him. He relaxed slightly at the sight and allowed the cat to distract him. “What is it? You hungry or something?” he asked the cat. 

Morgana looked up at him, somehow managing to look exasperated, and meowed before going back to rubbing at his ankles. Sojiro chuckled and leaned down to pet the cat. “It’s like you’re trying to comfort me or something,” he mused. “Ren probably needs that more than me right now, but I suppose I should thank you anyway.” Morgana meowed again and headbutted Sojiro’s hand, so he chuckled again and switched to scratching the cat around the ears. The cat purred and let himself be pet for a little while before he headed back up the stairs after Ren, and Sojiro went back to doing dishes. 

A little while later, the jingle of the door opening announced that someone had entered the cafe. “Welcome,” Sojiro said automatically as he turned to see who had arrived. Then he stopped and studied the person standing by the door. It wasn’t one of the regulars, and in fact was not anyone he’d seen before. The pleasant-looking young man was tall with grey hair, and it didn’t escape him that it matched the description of the person Ren said would be visiting, though he honestly looked younger than Sojiro was expecting. When Ren had said grey hair, he expected someone elderly, while this guy looked not much older than Ren, barely an adult at most. But regardless of whether this was the right guy or not, he wasn’t about to let slip anything until he was sure. So he asked, “What can I get you?” in his most polite but bland customer service voice.

“Sorry, I’m not actually here to order anything,” the guy said, looking genuinely apologetic. “I’m just here to meet someone.” He had enough sense to look around the cafe and make sure nobody else was around, then come up to the counter before asking quietly, “Is Ren around?”

Sojiro noticed the two of them were apparently on first-name basis, but rather than answer he asked, “And who might you be?”

“Oh! Pardon me for not introducing myself. I’m Yu Narukami,” said the young man, and bowed slightly. Well, at least he was polite.

“I’m Sojiro Sakura, though everyone just calls me Boss. I’m Ren’s guardian,” he replied. 

“Then it’s a pleasure to meet you, Boss,” Narukami said. “I’ve heard your coffee is excellent, I may have to try a cup later.”

The pleasantries were interrupted by the rapid patter of cat paws on the stairs. Morgana raced down, headed straight for Narukami and started rubbing against his ankles. He smiled brightly at the cat and said, “Hey Morgana, it’s good to see you again.” The cat meowed up at him, and he tilted his head, looking like he was listening to something, before bending down to pet the cat. Morgana nuzzled him, purring, then ran around the counter to rub at Sojiro’s ankles. But before Sojiro could consider leaning down to pet him, he was away and back to twining around Narukami’s feet.

Somewhat odd behaviour for the cat, but Sojiro had already noticed he was an odd one. And that the kids seemed to talk to the cat as if he could understand them, or they’d listen to his meows as if they meant something. He wasn’t sure if Narukami had been doing the same, but in any case it seemed that Morgana liked him, which he supposed was a point in his favor.

He seemed like a nice enough kid, but Sojiro still wanted to know if he had anything to do with all that Thief business. So he asked, “So, are you involved in any of that weird stuff Ren’s been up to?”

For some reason Narukami looked very amused at the question. “No, I’m staying out of it,” he said, his voice tinged with laughter. “But a few years back I went through something similar, so I can relate. Ren and I compare stories sometimes.”

Sojiro wasn’t sure what to make of that information, particularly since he hadn’t heard of anything else like phantom thieves in the last few years. Maybe some other application of the stuff Wakaba was researching, then? He didn’t really know anything about how the kids did what they did, so he couldn’t even begin to make a guess of how else it could be used. So instead he chose to focus on what was in front of him and wonder about Narukami’s reaction. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s so funny?”

Narukami immediately looked apologetic again and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you or anything. You just reminded me of my uncle. I was staying with him when I was going through my own business, and once he figured out what was going on, he tended to call it ‘that weird stuff’ too.”

Sojiro felt kind of sympathetic for the unknown man. “Is that so?” he said thoughtfully.

Something about what he’d said made Narukami look him over with a contemplative expression before offering, “You know, since Ren and I have been through similar experiences, we’ve been talking about them, and I think it’s helped him sort through some of his thoughts. Since you and my uncle are in similar positions, maybe you’d find it useful to talk to him about it. If both of you are up for it, of course.”

Well, that was an unexpected offer. He had to take a moment to get over how out of the blue it was before he could even consider the idea. He blinked wide-eyed for a few moments before his brow furrowed thoughtfully.

He supposed that talking about anything relating to the kids’ situation would be risky. But he didn’t know any specifics of what they were doing anyway, and if he kept the kids’ names out of it, he could probably allude to the general situation enough to get a conversation going. Then again, he didn’t know this Narukami guy, much less his uncle, and had no idea how likely they were to keep this discussion to themselves. Could he really trust them with even the vaguest information about his kids?

He started to look Narukami over appraisingly, and found the guy had knelt down to pet Morgana. And he could hear some rather loud purring. Curious at the sound he didn’t get to hear too often, he leaned over the counter to look at Morgana. It turned out Narukami was scratching the cat’s head with a blissful expression on his face, and Morgana had practically melted into a puddle on the floor. It seemed this kid was just full of surprises. Sojiro had never seen Morgana that relaxed, unless you counted when he was actually asleep.

A sight like that made Narukami feel more trustworthy. And Ren trusted him, so maybe he was alright. So he nodded and said, “Alright, I guess having a chat with your uncle couldn’t hurt.”

Narukami smiled at him, patted Morgana once more and stood up. “OK, I’ll give him a call and see if he’s free and willing to talk.” As he pulled out a cell phone and dialed, Sojiro thought that perhaps he ought to make sure a conversion like this stayed private, so he headed to the front door to lock it and flip the sign to Closed.

After a few rings, someone answered the phone, and Narukami said “Hi uncle! How're you and Nanako?” He listened for a moment, then said, “I’m going well, too. Classes are getting tough, but I’m keeping up.” Classes? He looked too old for high school, maybe he was in college? 

“Hey, remember that weird stuff a few years back?” he continued. A pause, then he hurriedly said, “Oh no, I’m not involved in anything like that again. But a friend of mine is, and I think his guardian could use someone to talk to who’s been in a similar situation. Would you mind chatting with him?” Another pause while he listened, then said, “Yes, I promise I’m staying out of it.” A moment later he said, “Great, thanks a lot. I’m going to hand the phone over now.” He listened for one moment more, then handed the phone out to Sojiro and said, “Here you go.”

He took the phone a bit hesitantly, said “Thanks,” then held the phone up to his ear. “Hello, this is Sojiro Sakura,” he said reflexively, then immediately kicked himself for giving out his real, full name in the situation.

“Hi, I’m Ryotaro Dojima,” said the somewhat rough-sounding voice on the phone. There was an awkward pause for a moment, before Dojima said, “So...weird stuff, huh?”

Sojiro had to chuckle. Yeah, he didn’t know how to start this conversation either. He took a seat in one of the chairs at the counter as he answered, “Yup. Can’t say I understand the first thing about what’s going on, but it’s something weird.” He noticed Narukami smile at that, then head up the stairs to see Ren, with Morgana trotting behind him.

Dojima sounded amused as he answered, “Sounds familiar. I never really understood what my nephew was doing even after he explained it to me. All I really got was it was dangerous and I couldn’t do whatever they were doing.” He sighed and continued in a quieter tone, “It didn’t really sit well with me to let those kids go off and do whatever when I was supposed to be the one protecting people. But I just had to trust them and hope they came back alright.”

“Yeah...” Sojiro agreed slowly. So Dojmia also had to stand aside while a bunch of kids did who-knows-what. Narukami was right that their situation sounded similar. “ _Did_ they come back alright?” he felt compelled to ask.

Dojima hesitated before answering. “Well...my nephew and his friends were fine. I never noticed anything besides him occasionally coming home looking tired. But my daughter got involved. Kidnapped, and thrown into...someplace weird. When my nephew got her back, she ended up very sick and in the hospital for a long time.” Sojiro sat in stunned silence for a moment before Dojima added, “She was six at the time.”

Sojiro winced. As a father himself, he felt incredibly sympathetic for this man who’d had to spend so long worrying over his kid, and her being so young just made it worse. So he said, “I’ve got a daughter too. Adopted, but I couldn’t care for her more if she was my own flesh and blood. A few years back her mother died, and she was so upset that she shut herself away from the world for a long time until my…” he kind of wanted to say ‘son,’ but it wasn’t accurate. So instead he said ‘ward,’ though it felt too impersonal. “...my ward had to do something weird to break her out of it. She insists he saved her, and after such a dramatic change in behavior, I have to agree.” While he at least understood that Ren had stolen her heart somehow, he didn’t know exactly what that entailed. But nobody needed to know what little he knew about the cognitive science stuff, and just subbing in ‘something weird’ for anything relating to it seemed to be a safe bet for the purposes of this conversation.

Dojima hummed in an understanding sort of way. “How’s she now?” he asked.

“Oh, she’s doing great,” Sojiro answered. “She wasn’t too used to interacting with people after hiding away for so long, but she’s getting better. A few months ago I never would have guessed she’d be going to the beach and navigating crowded shopping centers, but with the help of my ward and his friends, she’s somehow managed it.” A proud smile graced his face as he thought about how far she’d come.

“Sounds like your kid will be just fine,” Dojima said, a fond tone to his voice.

The allusion to “his kid” made Sojiro hesitate. “Yeah…” he said, his mood deflating.

Dojima must have noticed the change in tone, because he asked. “Hmm? Something wrong?”

Sojiro took a moment to answer. _His_ kid was just fine, but as for the one in his care... “Well, she’s OK, but my ward is less so. He had a very rough time lately, and...he’s not taking it well. He’s kind of shut down, and I don’t know what to do about it. Your nephew is talking to him now, but I have no idea if he’ll be able to get through to the kid.”

Dojima hummed pensively and started to say something, but whatever he had to say was drowned out by a shout from the attic, followed shortly by a loud _thump_ of something big hitting the floor. Sojiro gasped and was immediately on his feet, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if he could stare through the boards to see what was going on. Should he head up there? A concerned voice from the phone caught his attention. “Hey, what happened?”

“There was a shout from upstairs, sounded like the kid,” Soujiro answered, staring at the stairs now. “Now I’m even more worried. I should probably check on him.”

Dojima hummed, then said, “Personally, I’d trust Yu. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, I think he’d come get you if there was something wrong. Plus he’s good at helping people. During the year he stayed with me, he managed to charm half the town, and years later I still get neighbors telling me how helpful he was.”

There weren’t any more loud sounds from upstairs, though if Sojiro listened carefully he could hear meowing and maybe quiet voices. He kept his eyes on the stairs, but he slowly sat back down. “Alright…” he said reluctantly. “But I may have to grill your nephew when he comes back down.”

Dojima chuckled at that and said, “Fair enough.”

They both fell silent. Sojiro kept thinking about Ren, worrying about the boy and feeling helpless. He dithered for a moment, then sighed. “I just don’t know what to do,” he confided. “This is the first time I’ve seen him get hurt, but the kids keep putting themselves in danger, and they’re not done yet. I mean…” he stumbled, grappled with what he wanted to say, then finished, “How did you ever stand it?”

There was silence on the line, before a very weary voice said, “I’m ashamed to say I didn’t realize what was going on until it was far too late to do anything. Even now it makes me feel like a bad father and an even worse detective.”

“Detective?” Sojiro said, sitting bolt upright in alarm. Shit, he didn’t want any more detectives to know the first thing about his kids.

“Yeah, I’m a detective for the local police department,” Dojima said. Damn it, if he’d known this guy was a police officer, he never would have agreed to the call. While Sojiro silently debated whether to end the call now, Dojima continued, “Right after I did realize something was going on, I got badly injured trying to chase down my daughter’s kidnapper. I ended up in the hospital for a while myself, so there was nothing at all I could do to help the kids, even if I wanted to.”

That reminded Sojiro that rather than talking to some random police officer, he was talking to a father who’d come adjacent to a strange, dangerous world, then had to leave dealing with it to a bunch of kids. So he took a deep breath to calm down, then said sympathetically, “Yeah. All I can really do is make sure the kids get fed, and maybe feed my ward’s cat.”

Dojima snorted, and said in a bitter tone, “I never even did that much. I’m useless at any kind of cooking or housework, and I was away at work so much that it was a rare occasion that the kids and I managed to be together for dinner.” 

He grumbled at himself and continued, “When my wife died several years back, I barely knew how to take care of myself, let alone my daughter. She ended up taking on most of the housework. It really shouldn’t have fallen on a kindergartener to keep up with it all.” He huffed a frustrated-sounding breath, then said, “The only thing I knew how to do around the house was make coffee.”

“Oh really?” Sojiro said, intrigued despite the gloomy tone. “I happen to run a coffee shop, I can make a mean cup myself.”

Dojima gave a dry chuckle at that. “Oh, you’re probably worlds ahead of me. All I could manage was a basic drip coffee maker or the instant stuff.”

“Instant?” Sojiro gasped in mock horror. “That stuff isn’t real coffee at all. If you’re ever in Tokyo, stop by and I’ll show you what a real cup of coffee is.”

Dojima actually laughed at that. “I’ll try to keep that in mind,” he said. There was silence on the line for a bit, before Dojima continued, “Anyway, if you’re looking for advice on what to do in this situation...I’d say keep doing whatever you can, even if it has nothing to do with the weird stuff. Even just taking care of your kids’ basic physical needs is more than I ever did, and Yu and his friends turned out alright. Trust that the kids will be able to handle whatever they need to do.”

Sojiro supposed the advice was fair enough given the situation, but still...he sighed and said, “I just wish I could do more, though.”

Dojima hummed agreeably, then said, “Kids are going to grow up eventually, though. Sometimes you just have to step back and let them do their thing, so matter how much you want to protect them.”

Sojiro didn’t have a lot of experience at being a parent. He didn’t know when it was best to step in and help, and when it was best to hang back and let the kids figure things out. He feared he may have held back too much, that giving Futaba space might have been the wrong way to handle things. Someone else ended up having to jump in and help her, after all. But if another parent was saying it was OK to be hands-off in this situation, maybe he’d try to trust the kids more.

He stayed thoughtfully silent for long enough that Dojima spoke up to fill the dead air. “So, you said your kid has a cat?”

“Hmm? Yeah, he picked one up somewhere,” Sojiro answered. “And now he takes the cat literally everywhere he goes. He heads off to school carrying the thing in his shoulder bag, for crying out loud. I have no idea why I’ve never gotten a call from the school complaining about it.”

Dojima chuckled and said,“Yu must like that. He loves cats.”

Sojiro nodded, not that the other man could see, and said, “Yeah, and the cat seems to like him back. He was petting the cat earlier, and I’ve never seen the little guy look so relaxed.”

“He’s got a way of charming felines,” Dojima said. “I swear, the population of strays hanging in our neighborhood multiplied when he was here. He was probably feeding them, because years later they still sometimes come around looking for handouts.”

The conversation turned to more mundane dad topics then, sharing anecdotes about their kids and bragging about their daughters. Eventually Dojima said he needed to get back to work, so they said their goodbyes and ended the call. 

Sojiro looked at the phone for a moment, then impulsively wrote down Dojima’s number. You never know, it might come in handy sometime.

He unlocked the door and flipped the sign back to Open, noting that nobody seemed to have stopped by while the door was locked. Then he went back to keeping himself busy with minor chores, mulling over the conversation and his kids’ situation.

After a little while, Narukami came back downstairs. Sojiro hasn’t forgotten the commotion from before, so he fixed the young man with a stern look and said, “I heard a shout earlier. What happened?”

Narukami looked tired and said, “Panic attack,” which made Sojiro blanch. Was Ren doing that badly? Narukami continued, “I talked him out of it, and I think he’s doing better now. He looked about to fall asleep when I left, though. Probably best to let him rest for now.”

Sojiro’s face twisted bitterly as he looked at the stairs. While it was nice that _someone_ was able to help Ren, having to rely on someone else to help the kid made him feel useless. He should be able to do more.

“Hey, he should be alright now,” Narukami said. Sojiro looked over to see the guy looking very earnest as he continued, “We had a good talk, and he was more alert and responsive by the end of it. I did suggest maybe he should talk to his doctor about how he’s been feeling lately, so if you could make sure that comes up next time he sees her, that would be good for him.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, “Also, if he’s still not eating much, maybe try simpler foods like clear soup or rice porridge.”

Well that was at least _something_ Sojiro could do, however small it was. So he nodded and said, “The doc will be by to check on him this evening, I’ll be sure to mention it.” 

He picked up Narukami’s phone and was about to hand it back, but then he paused. If Ren was really doing better, he was glad for that, and he ought to do something to show his appreciation. So he used the phone to gesture towards one of the chairs at the counter and said, “Here, have a seat and I’ll make you a cup of coffee. It’s the least a can do.”

Narukami looked surprised at the offer, but said, “Oh. Well, then thank you,” and took the offered seat.

Sojiro handed back his phone and said, “No, I’m thanking _you_ for helping Ren. Now, how do you like your coffee?”

Narukami looked amused as he put his phone away, and said “Surprise me,” in a way that sounded like a private joke. Sojiro’s raised eyebrow conveyed his question before he even started to voice it, so Narukami explained, “My uncle used to make me coffee too, and the first time he asked how I took it, I said ‘surprise me.’ That made him laugh, so I tended to say the same whenever he asked. Sometimes he’d just make it black, but other times he’d run with the surprise, mixing in varying amounts of milk or sugar, or trying something different like imitating one of those big chain coffee shops and putting cinnamon in it.” He smiled wide at the memory as he continued, “Though one time he decided to be really surprising and put hot sauce in it.”

“Hot sauce?” Sojiro sputtered. He was honestly appalled that anyone would dare put that in coffee, even the fake instant stuff.

Narukami laughed and said, “Yeah, it was definitely an experience.”

It sounded like a prank some punk kid would pull on someone, not the weary detective he’d been speaking to earlier. So Sojiro just shook his head and went to pull down a jar of beans. He’d go with the house blend served black, which was his go-to for new customers who asked for a recommendation.

He settled into the comfortable routine of grinding and brewing coffee, allowing that to fill his attention until he set a steaming cup in front of his guest. “There you are, one house blend. Would you like a plate of curry to go with it?” When Narukami seemed to be thinking it over, he added, “On the house.” If the only thing he could do was feed everyone, then by god he was going to do it _right_.

“Well, who am I to turn down free food? Thanks, I’d be happy to have some,” Narukami said with a smile. So Sojiro headed into the kitchen to serve up a plate. As he dished it out he heard, “Oh, this coffee is excellent!”

He returned with the curry to find Narukami looking at his coffee in obvious admiration. It did always make Sojiro happy to see someone truly enjoying what he’d made. He slid the plate onto the counter and said, “Try it with the curry, they’re made to go great together.”

Narukami took one bite, and his eyebrows shot up. “Wow, this is great, too. My compliments to the chef.” Sojiro chuckled, leaned back against the shelves, and watched the kid chow down.

It had been nice to have a conversation with someone who’d been in a similar position to himself, and he supposed it was good Ren found someone who could do the same for him. Though it seemed like a rather big coincidence that he’d run into someone who’s been through something similarly weird. He started to wonder how that had even happened, so he asked, “Say, how did you even meet Ren, anyway?”

Narukami looked up and shrugged. “Ran into him at the train station, actually. I noticed he was carrying a cat in his bag, and was so fascinated I got closer for a better look. He noticed me staring, and we got to talking.”

Well, if Narukami loved cats as much as his uncle implied, then Sojiro supposed that could be a reasonable explanation. It didn’t explain how the weird stuff had come up, but he was probably better off not knowing that. He probably wouldn’t understand it anyway.

He let the kid eat in peace then, and he polished off the curry rather quickly. He took more time on the coffee, and Sojiro appreciated that he was properly savoring the brew. When both were gone, he stood up to leave.

“Thanks for the coffee and curry,” he said. “I may have to come back for more sometime.”

“You’re welcome back any time,” Sojiro replied. Then with a wave, Narukami was out the door, and Sojiro set himself to cleaning up the dishes.

Later that evening, when Takemi stopped by, he informed her that Ren had apparently had a panic attack and he’d like it if she could talk to him about it. When she headed upstairs to see Ren, Sojiro got started making a pot of rice porridge, figuring Ren would be awake after seeing the doc and he should try to get some food into the kid. 

She stayed up there for a fairly long time, and when she came down she headed straight for her clinic, then came back with another bottle of pills for Ren to take. Antidepressants, from the sound of them, which did make Sojiro worry. But when he brought a bowl of rice porridge up to Ren, the boy seemed tired but alert, far more normal than he had that morning. 

If Narukami did come back, he’d be getting a lot more coffee on the house.


	4. That didn’t come from the app store…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Yu finds an unfamiliar app on his phone, he decides to ask his favorite Phantom Thief about it.

9/24  
Evening  
Shibuya

It wasn’t long after Yu spent an afternoon with the Phantom Thieves that he found an unfamiliar app on his phone. He stared at the ominous-looking icon, red with a design like an eye that stared back at him. He certainly hadn’t downloaded that, and when he tried to delete it, it popped right back up. Frowning at his phone, he wondered if he’d gotten some malware somehow. Maybe running an antivirus program would clear it out.

Then he remembered that when Ren had brought them into the Metaverse, he’d done something on his phone. Could it have involved this app? Curious now, he decided to check it out. He generally knew better than to try and activate strange links or whatnot if they could be a virus, but since there was a reasonable chance it just had to do with the Metaverse, he decided he could give it a try.

So he tapped on the app, which opened immediately and identified itself as Metaverse Navigator. The name made Yu smile in satisfaction. That seemed clear enough. 

The app was pretty minimal; there was only a search box and a list of bookmarks. He started with the bookmarks, and found it listed one entry: Mementos. Considering that was the only place he’d visited in the Metaverse, that made sense. When he tapped on the search box, it expanded into three fields: Person, Location and Distortion.

Yu paused at that. He had a feeling that poking into that any more would give him too much insight on how the Phantom Thieves did what they did. Ren had wanted to keep that a “trade secret”, and Yu thought that was perfectly reasonable. Honorary Phantom Thief or not, he still wasn’t involved in the business of changing hearts, and it was safest for them if as few people knew the details as possible.

But he still felt he ought to ask Ren about it, so he sent a text to the boy.

 **Yu** : Hey Ren, a weird app popped up on my phone, called Metaverse Navigator. I take it that’s what you use to get to Mementos?  
**Ren** : That’s right. I suggest you leave it alone, though.  
**Ren** : I know you can handle yourself in Mementos, but there’s someone else out there who can enter the Metaverse.  
**Ren** : You’ve heard about those mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns, right?  
**Yu** : Of course.  
**Ren** : Well, one of Shadows we’ve run into said that they’re being caused by someone else who’s been in the Metaverse. Another Shadow said there was someone with a black mask doing stuff, so we assume they’re the same person.  
**Ren** : We have no idea what Black Mask is capable of. And it seems like they’re working for someone, because a lot of the breakdowns have benefitted someone in particular.  
**Ren** : If you want to stay out of our business, it’s best to forget about the MetaNav. Otherwise I have no idea who might find out about you.

Well, the warning was clear enough, and Yu was smart enough to heed it. He had no real need to visit the Metaverse, anyway. It might have been fun to fight Shadows once in a while, but keeping himself and his friends safe was more important.

 **Yu** : Thanks for letting me know. I’ll hide the app in a folder or something so I don’t have to look at it.  
**Ren** : Not a bad idea. I know from experience that it’s impossible to delete the thing.  
**Ren** : And Futaba could delete most bloatware and stuff off phones, but apparently that app isn’t really an app at all, so she couldn’t help clear it out for you.  
**Yu** : Oh? Is she good with computers?  
**Ren** : Yup.

Yu waited for a bit, but Ren didn’t elaborate. It sounded like there was a story there, but maybe Ren also wanted to keep that private. Yu wasn’t going to pry.

 **Ren** : Oh, and if for some reason you find yourself in the Metaverse by accident, go to wherever you entered the Metaverse and check the MetaNav. There should be a button to leave the Metaverse.  
**Yu** : Do you guys find yourself accidentally entering the Metaverse often?  
**Ren** : Not often, but for most of us, the first time we entered was an accident. Since you’ve already been in, I doubt it’ll happen to you, but I figured I’d mention it.  
**Yu** : Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.

Yu was actually rather curious how they’d entered by accident, but he filed that thought under “things about the Phantom Thieves that he would not ask about for safety’s sake.” He had a feeling he’d end up with a lot of questions under that category.

 **Yu** : Anything else I should know about the app?  
**Ren** : Nah, that’s pretty much it. If you’ve opened it, you’ve probably seen there’s not much to it. Don’t touch it, stick it in a folder so you can’t butt-dial it, and you’ll be fine.  
**Yu** : Alright, I’ll do that.

So Yu did immediately stuck the app in a folder, then stuck the folder in another folder just to be sure. The harder it was to activate accidentally, the better. He’d try to forget about the thing, unless Ren ever said it was safe to use freely.

Still, he did think that having a phone app you could use to enter the Metaverse wherever you wanted sounded handy for the Thieves. It would definitely make it easier for them to be discrete, rather than having to enter an alternate world through a particular TV in the middle of a busy department store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short thing this time, because I needed to write something light. I'm working on the next chapter, which will be meatier.


	5. Support Network

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren's not the only one who could stand to talk about his feelings. All the Phantom Thieves could benefit from it, and Yu's going to do his very best to help them out.

11/25  
Morning  
Yongen-jaya

The Phantom Thieves had finally figured out how to get into Shido’s Palace, and were making preparations to start infiltrating it in earnest. As always, the group left it up to Ren to decide when they’d meet up to explore, and he’d already decided to take it easy for a few days before diving into it. While Ren really did want to get back at the politician for everything he’d done, he also realized he was still banged up from the interrogation (bruises that bad didn’t fade so quickly, after all) and wasn’t in any shape to be fighting just yet. Even just running around the first floor of the Palace looking for information had left him sore, and he would need a little time to rest.

He figured he would keep that to himself, though. It’d just become habit to act like everything was fine. He didn’t want his team to worry about him, and would they even know why he waited to start the infiltration if he didn’t tell them?

Ren stopped at that thought, then went back to it. He didn’t want to tell them because he didn’t want them to worry. That was true. But Yu had encouraged him to talk to his team about how he was feeling, and had said he’d help with the discussion. Morgana wanted him to talk to everyone, too. Maybe now would be a good time for it, before they took on the Palace in earnest. Then again, maybe it would just distract everyone?

He struggled with himself for a while, mentally waffling back and forth between “Everything is fine, I’m doing better, I have medicine, they don’t need to know about this” and “No, Yu is right, I should stop hiding things and trust them”, with occasional asides for “But if I do talk to them about everything, they’ll think I’m weak and hate me.”

After a while Morgana’s voice shook him out of his thoughts. “Hey Ren, what’s wrong? You look upset.”

Reflexively Ren snapped his face from a conflicted scowl back to a neutral expression, said, “It’s nothing,” and avoided the cat’s eyes by looking down at his phone. He had been sitting on his bed scrolling through the Phan-Site, and he noted that his phone had gone to sleep from inactivity as he struggled with his thoughts. 

As he woke his phone back up and went back to scrolling, Morgana spoke up, sounding concerned. “Ren, didn’t we already talk about being more honest about your feelings? If something’s wrong, you can tell me. I just want to help you.”

Ren paused, then looked over at Morgana, who was curled up on the bed beside him. The cat looked worried, and Ren immediately felt bad for upsetting his friend. He was terrible for making everyone worry about him, he just needed to pretend everything was fine, play it cool and look normal so everyone could go on with their day…

 _No, stop that,_ he told himself. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Ever since Yu had talked to him, he’d been trying to stop himself when he noticed he was being negative, but it wasn’t easy. He tried to get his mind off it by focusing on answering Morgana’s question. What had he been talking about?

“Right, feelings,” he said. That didn’t do much to distract him, because it was the same topic he’d just been talking about. “I think...I need to work on that,” he admitted.

“So tell me,” Morgana said, sitting up to look earnestly at him. “What are you thinking? What’s bothering you?”

OK, he could do this. He tried to say something, found he couldn’t do it, then looked away and pretended he was talking to Yu. Like that, he managed to say, “I was thinking...maybe now would be a good time to talk to everyone. But maybe not…” he trailed off.

“Oh, you mean about what you were talking to me and Yu about? That’s a great idea!” Morgana said. When Ren didn’t say anything, Morgana asked, “Why are you hesitating?”

“Well...you heard what I said before,” Ren said, trying to avoid the question.

Morgana didn’t let him get away with that. “Tell me again. What’s bothering you?” He climbed into Ren’s lap and sat there, looking up at the boy.

Ren met the cat’s eyes, then looked away. He couldn’t say this kind of stuff to anyone’s face yet. Slowly, he said, “I was thinking that...maybe I don’t need to talk about it. I’ve got medicine, I’m doing better, I’ll be fine. And I don’t want everyone to worry, and they’ll just be upset with me if I say anything.”

“Ren, if you’re this anxious about it, you’re not fine,” Morgana said. “And we won’t be upset with you. Everyone else will want to help, too. We’re a team, we help each other out!”

Ren looked down at Morgana, still not convinced yet. Seeing that Ren still looked conflicted, Morgana said, “You felt better after talking to Yu, right?” When Ren nodded, Morgana continued, “Then you’ll feel better after talking to us, too.”

Ren wasn’t so sure about that. Yu was easier to talk to about this, for some reason. But he felt like if he said that to Morgana, it’d sound like he didn’t trust his friends, and they’d probably all feel hurt about that. He didn’t want to disappoint them, so rather than admit that, he just nodded and said, “OK.”

“OK, what?” Morgana asked.

“OK…” Ren took a deep breath before continuing, “...I’ll try talking to everyone.” Mornaga’s face lit up at that, but Ren continued, “But I don’t know how to start, or what to say.”

Morgana hummed thoughtfully, then said, “Didn’t Yu say he’d facilitate that discussion? Why not ask him to help?”

...Yeah, it might be easier with Yu there. He’d probably have a good idea of how to approach the subject. So he started typing out a text to Yu.

 **Ren** : Hey, you said you’d be willing to help me talk to everyone about feelings and stuff?  
**Yu** : Of course, any time you need.  
**Ren** : Are you free this afternoon? I could get everyone to come over after school.  
**Yu** : Yeah, I’ll be there.

OK, that was the easier part. Now to actually invite everyone else over. He had to take a moment to work up the nerve before he started composing the message. He’d gotten more comfortable talking to Yu about how he was feeling, but as he started typing in the group chat, he found he couldn’t yet broach the subject to everyone else without feeling weak. So instead of telling everyone what he wanted to talk to them about, he settled on something more generic.

**Phantom Thieves Group Chat**

**Joker** : Everyone good to meet up at the hideout today after school?  
**Panther** : Yup!  
**Noir** : Of course!  
**Fox** : I am at your disposal.  
**Skull** : Yo, we heading into the Palace today?  
**Joker** : Not today, I just want to talk to everyone about something.  
**Queen** : What is it?  
**Joker** : I’ll tell you when you get here.

Alright, now that that was done, he had all afternoon to try and work up the courage to actually talk about himself in front of everyone.

...He really hoped having Yu present would help him feel more comfortable, because right now he still wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it.

* * *

11/25  
After School  
Yongen-jaya

Ren was still staying out of sight in his room when he heard the cafe door open, followed by Futaba’s shout of “Sojirou, I hunger!” He checked the time, noted it was about when schools got out, and figured it’d be safe to head downstairs without looking like a truant. So he headed downstairs to find Futaba sitting at the counter waiting for a bowl of curry. A glance around the cafe showed no customers were around.

Boss looked over at Ren and said, “Hey, kid. You here to help in the cafe? Or are you heading out?”

Ren shook his head. “Neither, everyone’s coming over in a bit.”

“Oh? Need me to close the cafe so you can meet up?” Boss asked. 

“Nah, it’s not-” Ren reflexively double-checked that the cafe was empty before continuing, “-Thief business. We’re just going to talk about something, we can use my room.”

“Like I’ve said before, it’ll be hard to talk privately up there if there’s people in the cafe, right?” Boss countered. “There’s nobody here anyway, won’t do me any harm to close the place for a bit.”

Ren supposed that would be alright, and the seating was more comfortable down here...But wait, wouldn't that mean Boss would hear everything they’re talking about?

He was debating whether to insist that upstairs was fine when the door opened. Boss started to say, “Sorry we’re...oh, it’s you,” prompting Ren to look at the door. 

Yu stood by the entrance, smiling and carrying a canvas bag. “Yup, it’s me,” he told Boss. Then he waved to Ren and said, “Hey there. Looks like I was worried about being late for nothing.”

Futaba chimed in, “School just got out, everyone’s on their way over.”

Boss hummed thoughtfully, then said, “Well, while you’re waiting, want a cup of coffee?” 

Yu’s face lit up and he answered, “Oh, that would be great, thanks.”

Boss gestured for Ren to join him behind the counter and said, “Come on, you're helping.” But Ren had already anticipated that and was heading over to grab his apron.

Yu tucked his bag under a chair and took a seat at the counter, watching Ren curiously. “So you know how to make coffee, then?” he asked.

Ren smirked at him. “What, you think Boss would let me freeload over his shop without putting me to work?” Boss sputtered at that while Futaba snickered at him. “So, what’ll you have?”

Yu smirked back. “Surprise me,” he said. Ren raised an eyebrow at that, then shrugged and grabbed a jar of beans he’d been fond of lately. He ground and brewed the beans with practiced ease, and in no time set a steaming cup in front of his friend. 

As Yu reached for the drink, Ren said quietly, “Hey, I don’t really know how to get this discussion started, Could you…?” He trailed off hopefully, but thankfully he didn’t need to say more.

Yu nodded solemnly and said, “Of course.” Then he took a sip of his drink, looked thoughtful and said, “Hmm...It’s very good, but I’d have to say Boss’s is better.”

Boss scoffed, “As if this little upstart could surpass me so quickly!” but there was a fond smile on his face.

The bell above the door jingled again as Yusuke entered the cafe, “Good afternoon, Boss and...oh, you’re here as well,” the artist said upon spotting Yu.

“Yup, I’m here too,” he agreed.

“Well, it’s a pleasure as always to see you,” Yusuke said as he took a seat in one of the booths.

Boss called out, “Want some coffee while you wait for everyone else?” But Ren already knew the answer and was heading to the shelf of beans to grab Yusuke’s favorite.

Sure enough, the young man answered, “I would never turn down such a generous offer. The only thing better than Leblanc’s coffee is enjoying it with Leblanc’s curry. Though I am short of funds at the moment.” Ren smiled at his friend’s shameless, if roundabout, way of begging for free food. Boss sighed in a long-suffering kind of way, but didn’t even give a token protest as he went to dish out a bowl of curry.

Yusuke was halfway through his meal when the door opened again and the rest of the Thieves piled in all at once. Ryuji called out, “Yo, we’re...wait, you’re here too?” he said, staring at Yu.

That make Yu laugh. “Sounds like there’s an echo in here. Yes, I’m here too.”

“What for?” Ann asked.

“I’m just here to participate in the discussion,” Yu answered.

“What _is_ the discussion?” Makoto wanted to know.

Ren answered, “We’ll get to that. But first, anyone want some coffee?” He wasn’t trying to put off talking about things, definitely not. He just wanted to get everyone settled.

Everyone took seats around the cafe while Ren and Boss brewed up cups of coffee for everyone but Ryuji, who still got a soda. Ren made one more cup for himself, then started cleaning up the equipment. 

Boss stopped him with a gentle swat on his arm. “Enough, I’ll take care of that. You go talk about whatever everyone’s here for.” So Ren took off his apron and hung it up just to delay a tiny bit more, then picked up his cup and sat down at one of the booths.

Everyone was looking at him now. He took a long sip of his coffee while he tried to figure out how to begin, and when the silence hung too long Haru asked, “So, why is it that you called us all here?”

...No, he still had no idea what to say. So he looked to Yu for help. The man took the hint and leaned forward to state, “We’re going to have an honest discussion about feelings and mental health.”

Ren glanced around the room, noting that everyone seemed surprised and confused. Yu reached for the bag he’d brought as he continued, “And such a heavy topic deserves chocolate to lighten the mood. So I baked cookies.” He pulled out a large plastic container, popped the top off and held it out to everyone. Futaba was sitting closest, so she was first to lean over and peer into the box. “Ooooh!” she said, clearly impressed, and everyone else crowded around to get a look.

“Double chocolate Mona cookies!” Yu announced as Ren managed to get a peek. The container was full of dark chocolate cookies shaped like cat heads, with blue M&Ms for eyes and white icing piped on to mark the muzzle and inside of the ears.

Ann was the quickest to grab one of the cookies and bite into it. “These are really good!” she said, voice slightly muffled from her mouthful of chocolate, prompting everyone else to reach in as well.

“So you can bake, too?” Ren observed as he managed to snag a cookie, then bit into it. It really was good, chocolate with chocolate chips, and soft without being chewy or mushy.

“I _am_ a jack of all trades,” Yu responded matter-of-factly. “And I’m a pretty good cook in general.” 

When all the teens had taken cookies and sat back down, Yu offered the container to Boss. “Want one?” he asked. 

“Nah, you save the sweet stuff for the kids,” Boss said as he continued to clean. 

So Yu shrugged, put the container on one of the tables the Thieves were sitting at, and reached back into his bag. “I didn’t want Morgana to be the only one without treats, so I brought something for him, too.” The cat sat up curiously in the booth seat beside Ren as Yu brought out what looked like a takeout container. He popped the top off, allowing everyone to see…

“Sushi!” Morgana cheered delightedly. “You really know how to treat a gentleman like myself.” 

Yu chuckled and set the package of tuna sushi on the table in front of the cat. “It’s only convenience store stuff, I didn’t have time to grab anything better. But I wasn’t about to leave anyone out.” 

Ren wasn’t quite sure that cookies were equal to sushi, even when the cookies were well-made homemade ones and the sushi was the cheap stuff, but it was well-established that Yu was extremely fond of cats. He could be forgiven for favoring Morgana a little.

As Morgana happily chowed down, Yu sat back in his chair by the counter. “If anyone wants more cookies, just grab them, I made plenty,” he said. Then his expression turned a little more serious. 

“Now then, feelings. They’re pretty hard to talk about at the best of times, but even more so when the feelings are negative. Stress, anxiety, fear, doubt...everyone feels those sort of things at some point. But too often we feel we have to keep them to ourselves, for one reason or another. And the closer someone is to you, the harder it can be to talk to them about it.”

He paused to look solemnly around the group. Ren noted that everyone was paying close attention to Yu, though they largely looked puzzled, not sure where this was coming from. 

Yu continued, “Now, sometimes those kinds of feelings build up enough that they’re hard to deal with and start to impact your mental health. At those times it can help to talk to someone about how you’re feeling. It doesn’t have to be a doctor or a therapist or anything. A friend or family member can do just as well, as long as they’re willing to really listen and take your feelings seriously, without dismissing them or making fun of you.”

Ren felt Morgana press up against his side. He didn’t think anyone else noticed, since everyone was still watching Yu.

“So, I’d like everyone to try getting comfortable sharing how you’re feeling,” Yu went on. “Let’s start with something everyone should be familiar with: stress. Why don’t we go around and have everyone share one time you’ve felt stressed? It can be about anything, even an assignment at school.”

OK, Ren could do that. He decided to set a good example by speaking up first. “Using the Tokyo subways when I first got here,” he said. A couple people giggled, and everyone looked at him with expressions that were amused, incredulous or both. “Really,” he said, “Those things are confusing, crowded and loud. It took me days to even start to get used to them. The first time I tried to change trains in Shibuya, I was wandering around in circles for 10 minutes, staring at signs and trying to find the next line I needed.” He let everyone laugh at the mental image of him being a confused country bumpkin. 

Makoto was next to go. “Earlier this year I found it very stressful to balance student council work, ensuring that my grades remained high, and meeting all the expectations of my sister and teachers, particularly when Principal Kobayakawa kept pressuring me to find information about the Phantom Thieves.”

“That worked out for us in the end, though,” Ann observed with a wicked grin, and the rest of the Thieves nodded.

Makoto gave a small chuckle and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she answered, “It certainly did.” Then, apparently realizing Yu would have no idea what they meant, she looked over at him and said, “Oh, part of the reason I awakened to my Persona was because I realized such overwhelming societal expectations were unfair and I need not be bound by them.”

Yu nodded, smiling gently. “Good for you. It takes a strong will to face yourself like that.” That made Makoto duck her head, a pleased smile tugging at her lips.

Ryuji smashed through the tender moment by calling out, “Finals are always effing stressful! I’m all anxious for days before, and the days of are even worse!”

Makoto observed, “While that’s certainly true, they might be a bit less nerve-wracking if you studied once in a while.” Ryuji rubbed his head and grinned in an embarrassed sort of way, then reached for another cookie.

The Thieves took turns sharing anecdotes, mostly relating to school or work. When everyone had spoken, Yu took over again. “Great, nobody had any trouble talking about a time they felt stressed. Does anyone have any idea why that might be?”

Everyone looked at each other in confusion for a moment before Fubata asked, “What do you mean?”

Yu clarified, “Why do you think everyone was fine sharing feelings of stress, when they might find it hard to talk about other emotions?”

Everyone looked thoughtful at this, considering the question silently. Ren noticed that Boss still looked like he was cleaning, but he'd been apparently wiping down the counter for several minutes. Eventually Yusuke offered, “It is a common feeling, familiar and often fleeting, of little consequence.” Yu nodded, but didn’t say anything.

Ann suggested, “It’s easy to play it down. Like, no matter how bad you feel at the time, once it’s over you can laugh it off and joke about it.” Yu nodded again, but still stayed silent.

After a few moments, Haru spoke up slowly. “Perhaps...it’s easy to make light of because people are familiar that stress can be a minor thing. It’s easy to pretend that you’re feeling something mild and temporary, even if the effects are more far-reaching.” Yu nodded once more. 

A beat later, Ryuji said, “Besides, everyone talks about stress, man. It ain’t weird.” Everyone nodded along at that.

“All good points,” Yu said. “And there are probably similar reasons why you might feel comfortable talking about some other negative emotions, like annoyance, frustration, or jealousy.” 

Yeah, Ren could see that. In fact, he could probably picture times when Ryuji in particular talked about all those emotions. He was usually a pretty volatile guy.

Yu went on, “Now, what about feelings you _don’t_ want to share? Just think for a moment about one time when you didn’t feel comfortable talking about your emotions. Why is it that you didn’t think you could discuss them?”

There was a long silence then, and several more people reached for cookies. When everyone had a while to think it over, Yu asked, “Would anyone like to share their reason? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, only share if you feel comfortable with it.”

There was another silence, disturbed only by the munching of cookies. Ren observed that Boss had stopped pretending to clean and was instead just leaning on the counter, not looking at any of them but clearly not doing anything but listening.

Makoto was the first to speak. She crossed her arms and looked down before saying, “I had been told that such worries were childish, that the world wasn’t fair and I needed to just grow up and deal with it.” Ann, who was sitting next to Makoto, started to rub her friend’s shoulder in a comforting sort of way, while Ryuji grumbled something that sounded like _shitty adults._

Morgana looked around at the group, then at his empty sushi tray as he said quietly, “I didn’t want everyone to think I was useless.”

Haru looked concerned and said, “Oh, Mona-chan…” while Ren reached over to rub at the cat’s ears.

Futaba had curled up into a familiar hunch, knees drawn up to her chin and arms wrapped around her legs. She mumbled into her knees, “I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” Yu asked gently.

“Literally everything,” Futaba answered. “I wouldn’t leave my room or talk to anyone.” Boss looked over at that and opened his mouth as if to say something, then looked away and went back to pretending he wasn’t paying attention.

“Afraid of rejection,” Haru offered.

“Afraid of derision,” Yusuke contributed.

Ren took a deep breath and said, “Afraid of disappointing everyone.” To avoid seeing how anyone would react to that, he took a sip of his coffee. It’d gone cold.

There was another pause before Ann said, “I thought that it was petty, you know? Like other people had it worse so I shouldn’t complain.”

Ryuji grumbled and said, “I can’t tell if it’s something I should be talking about or if it’s just the way I am. I mean…” Ren heard his friend rubbing his hand briskly through his hair, the way he often did when he was frustrated. “You know me, right? I get mad sometimes, or I get frustrated. How much of that is normal and how much is too much?”

There was a pause before Yu said, “All perfectly valid reasons. All feelings are valid, even the ones that urge you not to talk about other feelings.” Ren glanced up to see that nobody was looking at him, and that everyone had their attention back on Yu. He turned to focus on the man as well. 

“So,” Yu continued, “can anyone think of reasons why you would _want_ your friend to tell you about their negative feelings?”

“Because we want to help!” Ann cried out immediately.

“Yeah! We’re a team, and teammates help each other out, no matter what,” Morgana said, standing up to rest his front paws on the table.

Futaba uncurled herself to say, “Because if you don’t tell people how you’re feeling, how are they supposed to know what you need?”

“Because it pains me to see a friend in distress,” Yusuke said. “And as the saying goes, a burden shared is a burden halved.”

Ryuji sat up to say, “Because even if I can’t do nothing, I can still listen. _And_ I won’t make fun of you.”

Haru brought a hand to her chest as she said, “Because we have trusted each other with so much in the past, and I would hope we all would trust each other with this as well.”

Makoto hesitated before saying, “Because I may not have all the answers when it comes to interpersonal relations, but I can look them up. If someone is struggling with their feelings, I’d gladly research psychology or...whatever else we need to figure it out.”

Ren didn’t say anything. His immediate thought had been ‘Because there’s a good chance it would raise the strength of a link with one of my confidants,’ but he was pretty sure that would not be the correct answer, even if anyone besides Yu knew what it meant. In fact, it sounded pretty selfish, like he didn’t care what his friends thought unless he could get some benefit out of it.

Yu nodded at each reason, smiling at them all. “So, given all that, that everyone has negative feelings, has reasons not to share those feelings, and that your friends have more reasons to want you to share with them...Now might be a good time to share anything you’ve been struggling with. Again, only if you want to. I’m not going to force anyone into saying anything they’re not comfortable with. I’ll even start us off.”

He leaned back in his chair and said, “I’m actually pretty nervous and don’t feel like I’m qualified to be leading this discussion at all.”

“Huh? Really?” Ann said incredulously.

Ryuji burst out, “You’re nervous? I can’t even tell, man!”

Yu’s mouth twisted into a self-deprecating smile. “You might have noticed I’m pretty good at keeping calm in most situations.”

“Well, yeah,” Futaba said in a tone that said that was obvious. “You’re like Mr. Zen, an old hermit who’s meditated at the top of a mountain to achieve inner peace. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look anything stronger than mildly concerned.”

Ren, however, did remember seeing Yu’s calm demeanor break down, like that time he’d been talking about his cousin dying. The man looked like he’d been about to cry back then. But looking at him now, you wouldn’t be able to tell that Yu had ever felt like that. Yu just chuckled and said, “But it’s true, I don’t feel like I’m the right person for this. Has anyone ever heard of Imposter Syndrome?”

Makoto tilted her head thoughtfully, then said, “Isn’t that where someone doubts their accomplishments and qualifications, and has a persistent fear of being called out as a fraud?”

Yu nodded. “That’s it. I’ve probably got a bit of that going on. I mean, I’m no therapist or psychologist. I’m just a guy who talks to people a lot, and likes to help out where he can. I’ve spent this whole conversation just making stuff up, hoping I’m not doing more harm than good and making everyone uncomfortable for no reason.”

There was a stunned silence at that. Then Haru leaned forward and said, “Well, I thank you for being honest with us about your feelings. And I personally think you’re doing a wonderful job.”

“Yeah! I think we’re this close to leveling up,” Futaba agreed, holding up her thumb and forefinger to be just barely apart. 

Everyone else chimed in to thank Yu and assure him that he was doing great. Ren noticed Yu relax just a bit at that, and realized he hadn’t noticed Yu was tense at all. Either that guy was honestly chill all the time, or he was _really_ good at hiding how he was feeling.

Makoto took a cookie, but just turned it over in her hands for a moment before saying, “I feel...disconnected from most people my age. I’ve spent so much time devoting myself to my studies and school obligations that I’m uncertain of how to interact with my peers. For example...I don’t know what kinds of things my classmates do for fun, which makes it hard to relate to them.”

The room was quiet for a moment, before Ann said brightly, “Well, that just means we need to help you practice! Let’s go do some fun stuff together, we can make it a girl’s day out! Haru, Futaba, you in?” She looked to the other two girls for confirmation.

Haru clapped her hands together and said, “Oh, that sounds like a wonderful idea! I admit my upbringing was a bit sheltered, so I could also benefit from seeing what sort of things my peers enjoy.”

Futaba looked nervous, but said, “O-OK, I think if we have a full party I could do this. I-I need practice going out and doing things too.”

“Great!” Ann cheered. “I’ll message everyone later to make plans.” All the girls smiled at that, though Haru’s smile was sunny, Futaba’s was shaky, and Makoto’s was shy.

Morgana fidgeted, then hopped up on the table to address everyone. “Hey, remember when I left the group because I felt unneeded and unappreciated?” He looked around the cafe, and all the Thieves nodded with looks of discomfort. Nobody could forget that, it was not the team’s proudest moment. “Well, now I do feel like this is the only place I want to be, but I still feel inadequate sometimes.” His ears and tail drooped as he admitted, “There’s plenty of stuff I can’t do because I’m in a cat shape instead of a human one, and it can make me feel left out or unnecessary.”

“Aw shit, man, we didn’t mean to leave you out or nothing,” Ryuji said, to murmurs of agreement from other others.

“Besides, there’s plenty of stuff that only you can do,” Futaba said. 

Morgana tilted his head curiously and asked, “Like what?”

“Well for one thing, you’re our best healer,” Makoto observed. “We’d be in a lot of trouble if we didn’t have you to back us up in a fight.”

“Naturally, we would be very hard-pressed to travel through Mementos without your assistance,” Yusuke said.

Ann offered, “And outside the Metaverse, there’s been plenty of times when only you could sneak around and find information, _because_ you’re a cat. Or at least you look like one,” she quickly amended.

“Yeah, like that time at Madarame’s shack…” Ryuji started to say, then glanced at Yusuke and shut his mouth.

Ren leaned closer to him and said quietly, “And you’ve helped me feel better when I wasn’t doing so great. Having you around all the time has been a big help.”

Morgana looked up at him with wide eyes and softly said, “Ren…” then glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the Thieves. 

Ren peeked through his bangs to follow the cat’s gaze. Everyone was staring at him now, with varying looks of concern on their faces. Ren looked back down. So, everyone heard that. That was probably his opening to talk. 

...OK, he could do this. Yu had spent this whole time warming everyone up to the subject. Nobody was going to look down on him. He took a deep breath and haltingly said, “I...haven’t been doing...so great. Lately.”

The room was silent. Morgana jumped down from the table to curl up in Ren’s lap, and he started to pet the cat mechanically. He slowly continued, “It’s...been going on for a while, really. It got worse after...after Sae’s Palace. But even before then...it’s been hard.”

He fell silent, petting Morgana and fretting over how everyone would react. Nobody said anything for a bit, until Haru gently asked, “What do you mean by ‘it’? How have you been feeling?”

OK, OK, time to come clean. Ren glanced sideways at Yu, who nodded at him encouragingly. He peeked around the room and found that everyone looked even more concerned, but nobody seemed angry, or dismissive or disappointed or anything. OK.

He still couldn’t look at anyone while he was talking, so he stared at the container of cookies as he began, “I’ve been worried, about a lot of things. Like being the leader. Can I take care of everyone? Am I doing the right things? When something goes wrong, is it my fault? Am I just not cut out for this?” He paused, then, not quite sure how to continue. Someone reached over and slid the container of cookies towards him, but he shook his head. He wasn’t hungry. Chocolate wouldn’t make him feel better right now.

After taking a deep breath, he went on, “I thought if I’m the leader, then I have to look strong and confident all the time. If I don’t, then I’ll be letting everyone down, and everyone will see I’m weak and a failure.” Someone in the room started to protest, but stopped about half a word in. Just as well. If he was interrupted now, he wasn’t sure he could keep going.

“And that plan to trick Akechi and fake my own death? I was actually terrified about it. I knew there were so many ways it could go wrong, and if one piece of the plan fell out of place I’d be dead. But it was the only way to make sure everyone else got out safe. And I couldn’t say anything to any of you, because we couldn’t afford to hesitate and risk tipping off Akechi. I _had_ to protect everyone,” he concluded emphatically.

He still couldn’t look at anyone yet. Morgana started to knead his paws into Ren’s thigh, probably trying to be comforting. After a moment, Makoto asked, “And what about...after? You said it got worse after?”

OK, just a little more and he could be done. Ren swallowed, then nodded. “Yeah. The interrogation was rough. Well, not really the interrogation itself,” he amended for Makoto’s sake. “Sae was fine. But before that…” His expression tightened. He wasn’t going to talk about what happened before that. “...And when I got home I sort of shut down for a while. Got stuck in my head for a bit, Yu and Morgana had to snap me out of it. Now Dr. Takemi says I’m depressed and gave me medicine for it.” He took a deep breath before admitting, “I feel broken.”

There was a long silence then, during which Ren felt a little relieved to finally get that out, but mostly increasingly worried. Were they going to get upset with him for hiding that for so long? Then out of the corner of his eye he noticed someone rushing at him, and Morgana barely had time to jump out of his lap before Futaba practically threw herself on him.

The girl grabbed onto Ren in a bone-crushing hug and cried out, “You dummy! You don’t need to hide that kind of stuff from us!”

Ren heard sniffling, and looked up to find Ann slipping out of her booth and walking over to his seat. “Come on out so I can hug you too,” she insisted, her voice thick with tears. Ren blinked at her, then scooted over to slide out of the booth, which was complicated by the fact that Futaba refused to let go. As soon as Ren stood up, Ann threw her arms around the both of them and buried her face in Ren’s shoulder. “Don’t you know we want to take care of you, too?” she choked out, then started sobbing into his shoulder.

Someone else slipped around them to hug Ren from behind, and then a multitude of hands were reaching out to hold on to him. He looked up over Ann’s head to find that every single teenaged Thief had converged on him in a giant hug pile, even Ryuji. He could see Yu standing off to one side smiling proudly at him, while Boss appeared to be trying to wipe his eyes without anyone noticing.

Ren carefully studied everyone’s faces, but nobody looked angry or disgusted with him. They looked concerned and upset, but not really at him. Any time he met someone’s eyes, they smiled at him. He ducked his head down into the circle of his friends, not sure how he felt about this.

From the back of the group, with his long arms encircling everybody, Yusuke said, “I do hope that from now on you will trust us with anything that is troubling you. If you have concerns, we can work together to alleviate them.”

Makoto nodded. “That’s right. Being afraid or worried doesn’t mean you’re weak, it just means you’re human.”

Haru chimed in, “I’m proud of you for telling us, and for seeing a doctor about it.”

Ryuji grumbled, “I can’t believe I didn’t notice anything. It sounds like you’ve been feeling bad for months and I had no idea.”

Ann sniffed and said, “Me neither.” Yu reached into the huddle to hand Ann a paper napkin, and she extracted one hand so she could grab it and start wiping at her eyes and nose.

Morgana had hopped up on a table to watch the group. Now he looked dejected and said, “I noticed, a little. I mean, I’m with him all the time, how could I not notice that he seemed upset sometimes? But I didn’t know how to say anything.”

Futaba muttered into Ren’s shirt, “It makes me feel like a bad friend for not noticing.”

“You’re not a bad friend,” Ren immediately countered. “I’m a bad friend for hiding it.” A chorus of voices cried out around him, with all the Thieves protesting that he wasn’t at all.

Yu’s voice rose above the group, and everyone quieted to hear him. “Hey, none of you are bad friends. It’s just a hard subject to talk about in general.”

Yusuke hummed pensively, then said, “Well, we shall strive to do better in the future, and be more observant of each other’s mental states.”

“That’s right,” Makoto agreed. “And we must never ignore it when we think someone isn’t feeling right.”

Haru added, “And we all should do our very best to support each other!” There were murmurs of agreement all around at that.

Ryuji started to squirm out of the pile. “Hey, let’s all huddle up like before a track meet, to show we really mean it,” he said. Ren noticed curious looks on people’s faces as everyone started to pull apart. 

“Everyone get in a circle,” Ryuji directed, and the Thieves moved to comply. “Now everyone stick one hand in the center...Oh wait, Mona can’t reach,” he said, looking over at the cat on the table. “We can’t leave you out, right?”

Mona looked surprised at being recognized. “It’s fine, you can go ahead without me-” he tried to say, but Ryuji shook his head.

“Nuh-uh, this is a whole team thing, and I’m not leaving you out after what you said before,” he said. “So, how we gonna do this? I guess...someone could pick you up?” 

“Why not just move closer to the table?” Ren proposed. “I’m sure we could get our hands in reach of Morgana’s paw that way.” Everyone agreed with him, and started shuffling closer to the table. Half the group ended up standing in the booth, but they managed to form a sort of horseshoe shape around the table so that hands and paw could join up in a tall stack.

“OK, now-” Ryuji started, before interrupting himself. “Wait, we’re still missing someone.” He looked over at the older Wild Card watching from off to the side and said, “Hey Yu, get over here!”

Yu looked surprised at that. “You want me in your team huddle?” he asked.

“Well, yeah,” Ryuji said as if it were obvious. “You’ve been helping us out with this feeling stuff, right?”

“Besides, an honorary Phantom Thief is still a Phantom Thief,” Ren added. He didn’t care if Boss heard that bit, he’d probably figured out already that Yu was pretty involved with the Thieves.

Yu looked pleased and headed over to the group, then reached an arm over Futaba’s shoulder to set his hand on everyone else’s.

Ryuji continued, “OK, _now_ we all gotta cheer something together before breaking the huddle. Like ‘Go team’ or something, but maybe we should figure out something more specific. Any ideas?”

Everyone thought about that for a bit, before Haru ventured, “Would calling out our team name be appropriate? Phantom Thieves?”

Ryuji shrugged. “Well, it could, if we were just huddling before a mission or something. But right now, that doesn’t really get at what we’re trying to show resolve about, like listening to each other and stuff.”

“I see,” Haru said and looked contemplative. Ren found himself thinking that Ryuji was getting really into this.

Makoto offered, “If this is meant to be a show of support for each other, how about ‘Support’?”

Everyone considered the suggestion. Then Yusuke stated, “While sufficient, it feels as if it is lacking something,” and several people murmured their agreement.

A moment later Ann said, “Well, since the whole point is to encourage each other to talk about our feelings and take it seriously when someone else goes, how about ‘Feelings matter’?”

Ren tried to picture cheering that. It sounded pretty dorky, so he tried to come up with something else. But it was succinct, and it got the point across, and the more he turned it over in his mind, the more tolerable it sounded. 

Ryuji said, “It’s cheesy as hell, but I think it’ll work.” He looked around the group to see what everyone else thought, and was met with nods all around. “OK, then. On the count of three, everyone shout ‘Feelings matter’ and throw up your hand to break the huddle. Ready?” Everyone chorused their agreement, so Ryuji counted them off. “One, two, three...”

“Feelings matter,” everyone said with varying levels of enthusiasm, and lifted their hands all at different times. 

“That was terrible,” Ren noted. “None of us were in sync.”

“Yeah, we can do better than that,” Ryuji agreed. “OK, one more time, and say it like you mean it! Hands in!”

So everyone joined hands once more, and Ryuji started again, bobbing their stacked hands in time with the count. “One, two, three...”

“Feelings matter!” they all cheered and threw up their hands, mostly in time with each other. As the group broke apart, a number of them wore embarrassed-looking smiles, but everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

As everyone made their way back to their seats, Ren asked, “OK, who wants to share next?” Yeah, the whole ‘everyone shares their feelings’ bit was probably just Yu giving an excuse to make it easier for Ren to say what he needed, but at this point they may as well keep going with it and let everyone have a chance to get some stuff off their chest.

Futaba was back to hunching in her chair when she said, “Um, everyone knows that I’m still not great at social situations. I’m getting better, and it’s probably good that I’ll be getting some practice by going out with Ann and everyone.” Ann smiled brightly at that, but didn’t interrupt.

Futaba started to fidget with her hands as she continued, “But sometimes when I try to go out and do things, I still get overwhelmed. A-and when I think about trying to go back to school again, I’m not sure I can do it. I remember that...that kids used to make fun of me for acting weird, like memorizing every title on a bookshelf at a glance and being able to list them off perfectly. And I don’t know what I’ll do if my classmates keep acting like that.” She wrapped her hands around her knees and finished by saying, “So sometimes it feels like I’ll never be able to function like a normal human being.”

There was a pause before Makoto said, “Well, it sounds like you’re already working on overcoming your social anxiety. And you’ve made remarkable progress since we first met you. I think it’s fine to keep going at your own pace.”

“Yeah, you’re doing great!” Ann chimed in. “Just keep working on it bit by bit, you’ll get to where you want to be in no time. And if you’re ever having trouble and need support, you can message us whenever. You know we’ll answer, even if we’re at school.”

Futana nodded shakily. “Y-yeah, I can do this. I just need to level grind to raise my social stats.” She pumped a fist to show her determination. 

“That’s the spirit, Futaba-chan!” Haru said, then her tone turned more serious. “As for me...Since I ended up the majority shareholder at Okumura Foods, I’ve been under a lot of pressure to manage the company.” She looked down at her hands, which were neatly folded in her lap as usual. “I’m not sure who I can trust among the staff, and it’s challenging to figure out who honestly wants to help the company rebuild it’s good name, and who just wants to get their hands on my father’s money.”

Everyone was silent after that, looking around at each other uncertainly. Yeah, there wasn’t a clear way to help her with that besides being generally supportive. But since she’d talked to Ren about that before, he had a little more insight on the situation and could give a more specific response. So he said, “You’ve been working on talking to the interim company president, right? How’s that going?”

Haru looked up and nodded at him. “That’s right. I’m working on preparing something to help convey my sincerity to him. If I can get him on board with my vision for the company, then he should be able to help me take the company in a direction that I’m satisfied with, and figure out who among the staff would assist with that.”

“Anything we can do to help you with that?” Ren asked.

She smiled and shook her head at him. “Not at the moment, but I’ll let you know if I find myself in need of assistance.”

Ren smiled back at her. “I’ll be here any time you need help,” he told her. He felt pretty sure that his bond with her was almost as strong as it would get, and had no doubt that helping her talk to the interim president would be what he needed to finish solidifying that bond. That’s how these things tended to work, after all.

Having spoken her piece, Haru brightly said, “Well then, who hasn’t gone yet?” She looked around the room, then asked, “Yusuke-kun, do you have anything you’d like to share?”

The artist blinked at the question, then looked pensive for a moment. “Hmm. I can’t say that I can think of any emotional distress that I wish to address at this time,” he said.

Ann twisted to look at him, looking surprised. “Huh? Weren’t you in a big slump with your art recently?”

Ryuji chimed in, “Yeah, you seemed pretty upset about it. Something about being too worried about worldly desires to paint right?”

Yusuke tilted his head thoughtfully before answering them. “Well, yes, it is true that I had been struggling to balance inspiration and the need to produce works that would earn an income. I felt my works were uninspired, my subjects and motivations both shallow, and I could never create anything as masterful as the Sayuri.” He turned to gaze at the painting hanging on the wall for a moment before continuing. “However, I no longer struggle with such worries. With Ren’s assistance, I was able to overcome my doubts and have regained my confidence and motivation as an artist.”

Haru smiled brightly. “Oh yes, Ren has been very helpful to me as well, regarding my challenges with the company.”

Makoto nodded and said, “He also assisted me with understanding other people my age.”

Futaba chimed in, “And he’s been helping me getting used to going out and doing stuff.”

Ann was about to say something as well, but all at once everyone seemed to realize something. Slowly every head in the room turned toward Ren. Uh oh.

“Ren…” Ann said slowly. “Have you been helping everyone else with their problems and refusing to reach out about your own?”

Busted. Ren looked guiltily around the room, and noticed that most people looked disappointed with him. Boss was glowering at him in a particularly displeased manner. Yu, on the other hand, had an expression of weary recognition. Yeah, he knew what had been going on. The man glanced at the rest of the Thieves, then back and Ren and quirked an eyebrow in a questioning expression that conveyed _Want me to tell them?_ Ren hesitated, then nodded. Hopefully Yu could make it sound more tactful than it sounded in Ren’s head.

Yu leaned forward and told everyone, “It’s a Wild Card thing, we draw strength from our bonds with others. Remember when I said I like to talk to people and help out a lot?”

A couple people nodded at the question. Then Ryuji asked, “Wait, so you’re helping us because it makes you stronger?” 

Yu smiled ruefully and shook his head. “No, I get no benefit from helping people any more. Now I just do it because I want to.”

Futaba looked thoughtful, then narrowed her eyes at Yu. “Heeeey...does that mean you also had some stuff you were struggling with but never told anyone because you were too busy helping everyone else?”

The smile on Yu’s face was starting to look a little strained. “That’s all in the past now…” he tried to say, but Futaba interrupted him.

“Nuh-uh, I’m not letting you get away with dodging the question. We’re being honest here, right?” she insisted.

When Yu didn’t say anything right away, Morgana chimed in, “You’re our friend, too. If something’s bothering you, you can tell us.”

Yu looked around the group. All the Thieves who were looking expectantly at him now, so he sighed and relented. “Alright. After everyone else has had a turn to share.” 

“I’ll hold you to that!” Futaba said, wagging a finger at him. 

Ren felt a bit bad for Yu, but mostly he was glad that nobody had realized that Ren _was_ still gaining strength from helping people out. Some of the sharper members of the team would probably realize that eventually, but at least that conversation didn’t have to happen now. He had some time to figure out what to say about it.

“Hmm. Well, I haven’t gone yet, so…” Ann said. She tapped her fingers on the table for a moment before continuing, “I feel like a lot of people think I’m just some pretty airhead, like they just judge me on appearances. In school Shiho was my only friend for a long time because nobody else bothered to get to know me.”

“The whole Kamoshia thing didn’t help, either,” Ryuji grumbled.

Ann’s expression darkened. “Yeah, everyone really kept their distance while he had his eyes on me,” she griped. “It kind of hurt that everyone just avoided me and didn’t try to find out what I was really like or what was really going on.” Then her expression brightened. “But now I have all you guys! You all got to know the real me.”

Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m kinda in the same boat. I feel like a lot of the time, people treat me like I’m just some dumb jock. It’s like…” He looked annoyed for a moment, clicked his tongue and continued, “I did the whole delinquent look on purpose, so I don’t care so much if people look at me like one. But when people keep talking like I’m stupid...I know I ain’t the brightest, and usually I can just laugh it off. But you hear that kind of stuff often enough...it starts to get to you, you know?”

Everyone looked uncomfortable at that, and glanced at each other with guilty looks. They’d all poked fun at Ryuji at some point. Morgana had been the worst about it, and he looked positively miserable. “Uh, hey, I’m sorry about that,” the cat said. “I guess I didn’t realize how much it bothered you. So...I’ll try to do better.”

Ryuji gave a rueful smile and answered, “Yeah, thanks. And...it really bothers you when people keep teasing you about being a cat, right? I know I’ve been pretty bad about that. So...how about, if you stop calling me stupid, I’ll stop calling you a cat?”

Morgana perked up a little at that. “Yeah, that sounds fair.”

Ryuji grinned at him. “Great! Though, uh, if I slip up once in a while, I don’t mean nothing about it.” Then he looked around the room. “I think everyone’s gone now, sooo…” He turned to look at Yu, and everyone followed his gaze.

“Ah, right,” Yu said. He glanced at Boss and appeared to be choosing his words carefully before he said, “So, a few years back my friends and I were investigating a series of murders-”

“What?!” Boss burst out, accompanied by incredulous noises from some of the others. “Why were a bunch of kids trying to deal with a murderer? Why not just leave that for the police?”

“There was weird stuff involved,” Yu said frankly, which made Boss give a resigned sigh. When he said nothing else, Yu continued, “Anyway, people were getting kidnapped, and if we didn’t rescue them in time, they’d be killed. We were all pretty worried about saving people in time, and scared that someone would get seriously hurt before we could figure out who the killer was. But we had each other to lean on, so we helped keep each other’s spirits up until everything was over.”

Yu smiled as if that was all there was to say, but Ren knew there was more to it. He fixed Yu with a flat look and said, “You’re being evasive.” When Yu gave him a puzzled look, Ren raised an eyebrow and prodded, “Which kidnapping bothered you the most?”

Yu’s eyes widened, then his expression turned anxious and a little guilty. He looked around the room, and Ren noticed that everyone was staring at him expectantly. He didn’t say anything for a moment, then sighed and answered, “My cousin. She was 6 at the time.” Several people winced at that. 

“We rescued her, but she ended up very sick from...being in the place where she was being kept.” Yu didn’t look at Boss, but Ren assumed he was being vague because he wasn’t sure how much the older man knew. Yu’s expression grew more melancholy as he continued, “And my uncle, her father who I was staying with, got badly injured trying to chase down the kidnapper. Worst of all…” he paused, blinked as he appeared to realize something, then glanced at Boss with a conflicted look. Maybe he wasn’t sure if Boss should hear the next bit. But Boss just raised an eyebrow and made a ‘get on with it’ gesture.

Yu’s brow furrowed with worry, but he went on anyway. “...Well, worst of all was that my cousin...actually died, temporarily.” He looked down as several people gasped at the news. Morgana promptly jumped down from the table, hopped up to sit on Yu’s lap, and looked at him expectantly. Yu’s face lightened slightly as he started to pet the cat.

He went on, “The hospital never figured out what she was sick with, why she died, or why she spontaneously revived a short time later. Now she and my uncle are fully recovered, no lingering effects from what happened. But still…” He sighed, mouth twisted unhappily. “I’m not sure if there was more I could have done to keep things from getting to that point. If that could have been averted by being quicker to rescue her, or to figure out who the kidnapper was…” 

He shook his head and looked up at everyone. “I try not to think about it any more. It’s in the past, and there’s nothing to be done about it now, though obviously it still bothers me sometimes. As the saying goes, time heals all wounds. But some wounds run deeper than others and take longer to heal.”

There were several long moments of silence after that. Yu kept petting Morgana, and the cat started kneading Yu’s leg. Then Futaba asked quietly, “Do you need a hug too?”

Yu looked surprised at the offer, but then his face softened. “Sure, hugs are always nice,” he acquiesced.

Futaba nodded and slipped off her chair. She was far less enthusiastic then when she hugged Ren, and even looked faintly nervous, but she walked up to him anyway. Moraga jumped off Yu’s lap so he could stand up, and then Futaba and Yu embraced each other. It didn’t last long before Futaba pulled away, looking extremely embarrassed, and scurried to go back to hunching in her chair.

Just as before, Ann was right behind Futaba. As soon as the younger girl pulled away, Ann stepped up to give Yu a hug, too.

...Eh, why the hell not? Ren scooted out of the booth so that when Ann let go, he could take his turn giving Yu a hug. He stayed there for a good long moment, and when he let go he found Haru waiting behind him. One by one all the Thieves did the same; after Haru was Yusuke, then Makoto, then finally Ryuji, though he looked almost as embarrassed as Futaba. Even Sojirou reached over to clap a hand on Yu’s shoulder, then busied himself making more coffee.

“Thanks, everyone,” Yu said, smiling warmly as he took his seat again. Everyone else sat down as well, though a couple people snagged cookies on the way.

After a moment of munching, Ryuji asked, “So...now what?”

Yu shrugged. “Unless anyone else has something they want to talk about, I guess that conversation is done.”

Boss cleared his throat and looked up from his coffee preparations. “Actually...uh, in the spirit of honesty, I wanted to say to you kids...uh, mostly to Futaba and Ren I guess…” He cleared his throat again and rubbed the back of his neck before continuing. “I’m actually really worried about you every time you go to god-knows-where and put yourselves in danger so...try to be carefull, OK? I don’t think my heart could take it if something happened to either of you.” 

Boss hurriedly appeared to be engrossed in his work and picked up a pot of water, but before he could do anything with it, Futaba jumped down from her chair, ran around the counter and threw herself at her father. 

“Wha...Futaba! Be careful, I could have spilled this all over you!” Boss protested, but the girl just buried her face in his shirt and clung to him.

Though it was muffled by the fabric, Ren heard her mutter, “I’m sorry to worry you, Dad. We’ll be really careful, I promise.” Boss froze, then stared off into space, looking both embarrassed and incredibly pleased.

Ren decided to take the attention off Boss to keep him from getting any more embarrassed. So he said, “Well, since that’s done and everyone’s here, want to just hang out for a while?”

Ryuji grinned at that. “Sounds good to me! Yu, you wanna play some video games? Ren has an old retro console upstairs.”

Everyone was happy to just hang out, and before long the whole group moved upstairs to Ren’s room. The Thieves hadn’t had a lot of chances to just spend time with Yu, so it was a nice change. It ended up being a very lively afternoon, and for a while everyone was able to forget everything else and just enjoy themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, this got a lot longer than I was intending. This turned out to be a very introspective chapter. Writing it involved a lot of me thinking about why I don’t feel comfortable talking about certain feelings.


	6. Judgement of a Worldly Fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When joining the Phantom Thieves to hear the results of the election, Sae unexpectedly meets one of the Thieves’ collaborators. Who is this grey-haired young man, and why has she never heard of him before?

12/18  
Morning

**Phantom Thieves Group Chat**

**Panther:** Hey, we’re meeting at Leblanc this afternoon to watch the results of the election, right?  
 **Joker:** Yep, come on over. I had Boss sell the legislator’s pin so I don’t get caught pawning something questionable, and he’s going to use the money to order food.  
 **Fox:** It seems this gathering will take the place of our usual post-Palace party.  
 **Skull:** You know what would make the party even better? Shido confessing in the middle of it.  
 **Noir:** We shall have to hope that will happen.  
 **Queen:** Should I invite sis to come, since she’s been at many of our planning meetings recently?  
 **Joker:** Go for it. She’s invested in this too.  
 **Oracle:** Jack, you should come too!  
 **Noir:** Oh, yes! If this is a party to commemorate our success, then all the Thieves should be present.  
 **Jack:** You sure it’s a good idea for me to be there, if Queen’s sister will be there too?  
 **Joker:** Yeah, it’s fine. She knows almost everything anyway, we can trust her.  
 **Jack:** OK, then I’ll see you all then.

* * *

12/18  
Evening  
Yongen-Jaya

Makoto had told Sae that the Thieves would be heading to Leblanc after school to watch the news of the election, and she was welcome to join them at any time. Unfortunately, Sae could not leave work early in order to attend the gathering, so it was early evening by the time she made her way to the cafe. Before she even entered the building, she could hear the loud, excited chatter of the group of teenagers inside. She smiled slightly as she opened the door and took in the scene: Sojiro behind the counter, the cat Morgana sitting in a booth like a person, seven teenagers scattered around the room...and one unfamiliar grey-haired young man who was deep in conversation with Okumura. 

Her smile fell as she registered the unexpected presence. She had been under the impression that this would be a gathering of just the Phantom Thieves. So who was this, and why was he here?

Before she could even begin to form a hypothesis, Makoto called out to her. “Hello, sis. Did work keep you late today?”

Sae stepped up beside her sister, who was sitting in the nearest booth seat. “Not particularly, though I had hoped I might be able to slip out early to join you before this,” she replied. She glanced at the TV that was on in the corner, and noted, “It looks like they’re still tallying the results of the election, so I haven’t missed the main event yet.”

Makoto nodded. “That’s true, and we’ve hardly seen a glimpse of Shido all day. It’s hard to tell if the change of heart has taken effect.”

Sae nodded back, and then her eyes drifted over to the unknown young man. “By the way, who is…?”

Makoto glanced at him as well. “Ah yes, you haven’t met him yet. Let me introduce you.” She raised her voice slightly to call, “Hey, you!” which made the young man glance up. Sae thought that was incredibly rude of her sister before Makoto said, “Sis, this is Yu Narukami. Yu, this is my sister, Sae Nijima.”

...Ah, so Makoto had said ‘Hey, Yu.’ Narukami smiled at Sae and bowed in his seat, saying, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Nijima-san.” Well, at least he was polite.

“And you as well,” she replied, nodding to him. She really wanted answers as to who he was, so she asked, “So how are you involved in all this?”

“Oh, I’m deliberately not getting involved,” he answered. “I’m just here for moral support.”

“...I see,” Sae said, though she really didn’t. Why did they need someone for moral support? And how much did he know? When she didn’t say anything else, Narukami nodded to her and went back to his conversation with Okumura.

Her brow furrowed as she considered whether to ask him any more questions. Makoto interrupted her thoughts, saying, “It’s fine sis, you don’t have to worry about him. We all know him and trust him.”

Sae looked down at her sister. Well, perhaps she could get at least one question answered. Very quietly, she asked, “How much does he know about all this?”

Makoto hesitated, then answered, “I’m not sure. But he does know we’re all Phantom Thieves, and has heard at least some of what we do. You don’t have to worry about him overhearing something we want to keep hidden.”

So he knew the identities of the Phantom Thieves and at least some of their methods, presumably including the supernatural ones. It sounded like he knew more about the Thieves than anyone besides herself and Sojiro. So how had she never heard of him before? She decided standing there was doing her no good and went over to take a seat at the counter. 

“Want your usual?” Sojiro asked her, and when she nodded he started preparing the cup of coffee. She continued mulling over the information about Narukami while Sojiro worked. When she said nothing for a few minutes, he commented, “You’re awfully quiet today. Something bothering you?”

“Hmm?” she asked, startled out of her thoughts. “Oh, I’m just a bit puzzled about that young man,” she said, vaguely gesturing towards Narukami. “Do you know him?”

Sojiro looked over at the man in question and...actually looked fond, which was not at all a reaction Sae would have expected. “Yeah, he’s a good kid,” Sojiro said warmly. “Ren was going through a rough patch after...ah, you brought him back from the police station. That guy talked him into a better headspace when nothing else seemed to get to him. I’m actually quite grateful to him.”

Huh. So Amamiya was apparently struggling with his mental health after the interrogation, which was honestly perfectly understandable. Either whatever Narukami had said was very effective or Ren was very good at hiding what he was thinking, because when she’d spoken to all the Thieves just a couple days after Amamiya had come home, he'd seemed perfectly fine to her.

Sojirou glanced at Sae, seemed to notice she was still apprehensive, and said, “Don’t worry about him. Ren called him an ‘honorary Phantom Thief’ once, and said he knows everything about their business. He’s alright.”

...That implied Narukami was actually rather involved with the Thieves, despite the fact that he said he wasn’t. She was starting to wonder if everyone was telling the truth here. As Sojiro set her coffee in front of her, she decided to try and listen in on Narukami’s conversation to see if he let anything slip.

She took a sip of her drink and started to eavesdrop, noticing that Narukami and Okumura seemed to be talking about...gardening? They were comparing different species of tomato plants they’d grown. Then Narukami said, “I also found a species of corn that could be used to cast Tetrakarn or Makarakarn, so I grew a lot of those.”

“Oh!” Okumura replied with a quiet clap of her hands. “That would have been really useful in the Metaverse!”

The conversation continued calmly, with Narukami offering to get her some seedlings, as if Okumura had said nothing unusual. So he knew about the Metaverse. And he’d said something about “casting” something, some words that were unfamiliar to Sae but apparently meant something to Okumura. Was it something to do with that strange power Ren had talked about, and did that mean that Narukami had it, too?

A cheer from the TV attracted everyone’s attention. “Looks like Shido’s going to win,” Sojirou grumbled.

“Damn it, he hadn’t confessed yet!” Sakamoto shouted.

“Calm down, Ryuji, there’s still time,” Makoto urged.

Everyone paid close attention to the TV for a while, their focus only broken when a delivery of food arrived. Sojiro busied himself setting out the food and getting drinks for everyone. When Shido was announced as the winner, a collective groan filled the room.

“I wouldn’t lose heart yet,” Sae advised them. “The previous confessions have largely been at public gatherings or press conferences, correct?” When everyone nodded, she continued, “Shido will have to make an acceptance speech. Let’s wait and see what happens then.” That brought light into everyone’s eyes, and they resumed watching the events unfold.

Sure enough, not two sentences into his speech, Shido started to break down. The Thieves cheered and celebrated, and Sae discussed with them what would happen next in regards to Shido. 

After everyone shared a toast and started to dig into the food, Sae found herself puzzling over Narukami again. He hadn’t reacted at all to any of the discussion, not even when Futaba mentioned avenging her mom, or Sae mentioned Wakaba’s research. In fact, the only time he’d spoken up was when Sojiro said to blame Shido because a legislator’s pin wasn’t worth much, which sounded like a complete non-sequitur to Sae, but Narukami only commented that he could have cooked something for them all. With everyone relaxed and chatting freely, perhaps she could learn something now.

She tried eavesdropping on everyone again, but the conversations were mostly general teen chatter, or fervent wishes that Shido ended up behind bars. Nothing of consequence. Eventually Amamiya headed over to the kitchen to grab another drink, and Sae decided to join him. Perhaps she could ask him some questions without anyone noticing.

As Sae stepped into the kitchen, she said, “Pardon me, Amamiya. May I have a word?”

“Sure, what’s up?” he asked as he grabbed a bottle of soda out of the fridge.

Deciding to get straight to the point, she asked, “Who is Narukami and how does he fit into all this?”

Amamiya looked up from pouring his drink to give her a puzzled look, then relaxed with an amused smile. “What, are you worried about him? Don’t be, he’s a friend of ours. We’ve known him almost as long as Haru’s been on the team, and he knows more about us than anyone else. He’s one of the people I trust the most.”

That...was a pretty strong endorsement, coming from him. During the course of the interrogation, she’d gotten the impression that Amamiya was slow to trust and careful of what information he told who. Though, speaking of the interrogation…

“If you’ve known him so long, why haven’t I heard of him? He never came up in my investigation, and you never mentioned anyone like him during the interrogation.”

She noticed Amamiya flinch slightly at that last word. What?...Ah yes, Sojirou had suggested the interrogation had impacted his mental health. Perhaps she should have been a little more tactful about referring to what was likely to have been a traumatic event.

Still, when he answered her question, his voice sounded steady. He said, “We’ve been trying very hard to keep anyone from finding out about him.”

That only brought up more questions. “Why?” Sae asked.

Amamiya replied, “He’s a Persona-user too, and has been for years, but is purposely staying out of Thief things. By the time we met him, we knew someone else was using the Metaverse for the mental shutdowns and such, but we didn’t know who or how they were doing it. So we were trying to protect him by keeping anyone from noticing him. Especially Akechi, once we figured out he was planning to betray us.” His expression darkened a bit at the last sentence.

“I see…” Sae said. So he did have the same power as them. Sae’s next question would be ‘Are you sure he wasn’t using the Metaverse to do anything,” but she expected that after Akechi they were likely to carefully vet anyone who might be capable of what he’d done. Still…”I’m impressed you managed to hide one of you allies from me.”

From behind her, a voice said “I’m good at avoiding attention.” She hadn't noticed anyone come up behind her, and she was usually pretty aware of her surroundings. How long had he been standing there? Sae turned to find that it was Narukami behind her, relaxed and smiling. “You know, if you want to know more about me, you could just ask. There’s no need to bother everyone else.”

In any other tone of voice, those words could be accusatory or derisive. But with his pleasant delivery, they were a simple fact, or even an invitation. She decided to take it. “Very well, then. Who are you?” she began.

“Yu Narukami, student of Tokyo University and honorary Phantom Thief.”

“And what is an honorary Phantom Thief, exactly?” she asked.

Narukami shrugged. “Basically it means I have the same power as them and probably could join them if I wished…” he glanced at Amamiya, who nodded. “...but I choose not to. But we’re still friends, and they’re comfortable talking about Thief things around me.”

“He even has a code name,” Amamiya contributed.

“Oh? And what might that be?” Sae wanted to know.

“Jack,” Narukami answered, “From the playing card suit, and also the saying ‘jack of all trades’.”

“He has many talents,” Amamiya added.

Sae was curious what those ‘many talents’ might consist of, but she had more pressing questions. “So you’re on good terms with the Thieves, but not involved with their work at all?” she asked, to be certain.

Narukami nodded. “That’s right, I have provided no direct or indirect assistance for any of them as Phantom Thieves, just as people in general.”

Aha, so he did something after all. “And what sort of assistance was that?” she pressed.

Narukami hesitated at that, and cast a questioning look at Amamiya. When the boy nodded, Narukami said, “I was sort of an unofficial, unqualified therapist.”

...Well, that did corroborate what Sojiro had said. And judging by Amamiya’s reaction when she’d mentioned the interrogation, he still had some mental scars that had yet to heal, so receiving help from one of the few people who could understand what he’d been through did make sense. “I see. I thank you for indulging my curiosity,” she told him.

“You’re welcome,” he said, and he appeared to mean it. “Let me know if you have any more questions."

Sae made her way back to the main part of the cafe, mulling over what she had learned. But before she had time to think about it long, her phone chimed with a notification. She checked the message that had arrived, then told the group, “I need to go. It seems Shido’s been transferred to a hospital.”

She bid everyone farewell and headed out. Work would likely keep her very busy for a while as she worked to build a case against Shido. Still, she might find the time to investigate Yu Narukami on the side, more for her own curiosity’s sake than anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this chapter, this fic now has a subset of ‘Ren’s Confidants finding out about/reacting to Yu.’ If I hadn’t already posted The Heirophant’s Heartache in this fic, I might have posted this subset as a separate fic. There will be more of these, but possibly not for every Confidant because I don’t have ideas for them all yet.


	7. An Evasive Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Christmas morning, and when Yu gets a call from some of his old friends, he has to deal with the aftermath of the day before.

12/25  
Early Morning  
Yu’s apartment

Yu woke to the sound of his alarm clock blaring. He slapped the thing off by reflex, remembered it was Christmas and he didn’t have class, then pulled the covers over his head and went back to sleep.

* * *

12/25  
Morning  
Yu’s apartment

Yu started to rouse again 2 hours later. He drifted in and out of wakefulness for about 10 minutes before he remembered what happened the previous day. That shocked him fully alert, and he blinked up at the ceiling as his mind replayed the events.

Although everything had looked normal when he went to bed, he felt the need to double check, so he rolled out of his futon and went to look out the window. Thankfully, everything outside appeared just the way it should, no matter whether he wore his TV World glasses or held the Orb of Sight. He breathed a sigh of relief and went to get ready for the day.

A bit later Yu checked his phone to find that he had a whole lot of notifications. There were many missed calls from Naoto, a few missed calls from Rise, a couple voicemails and a lot of chatter in the Phantom Thief chat. When he checked the voicemails, he found they were from Naoto and Rise, both of them asking if he was alright, though Naoto also asked if he knew what was going on. Yu texted both of them that he was fine, sorry to worry them, but he had his phone on silent yesterday.

In under a minute Yu’s phone rang, and he was not surprised to find that Naoto was the one calling. He’d have to do his best to explain what happened without mentioning the Phantom Thieves, since he didn’t want to rat them out. They were trusting him with their secrets, and he didn’t want to betray that trust. Hopefully he could manage to tell his version of events without lying, because he didn’t like to lie to his friends.

He accepted the call and said, “Good morning, Naoto.”

“Good morning, Yu. I am relieved to hear you are well, particularly after I could not reach you yesterday.” Naoto answered.

“Sorry to worry you. How are you?”

“I am fine, if a bit perplexed over the events of yesterday.”

Ah, maybe Yu could get Naoto to talk about things from her perspective and build his explanation off that. “So what happened where you were? I’m wondering if it was the same everywhere, or if it was more localized to my area.”

There was a slight pause before she said, “Well, as I had mentioned previously, I was near Akihabara when you called. Nothing seemed amiss at first, so I continued what I was working on, though I tried to be alert to any changes in the environment.” She hesitated slightly before continuing in a lower tone, “I’m ashamed to say that it wasn’t until I realized that a few of the people near me were looking around in alarm that I suddenly noticed the change in our surroundings.”

“You mean the red rain and the bone-looking things?” Yu asked.

“That is correct," Naoto replied, her voice back to her normal level. "I take it you saw the same where you were.”

“That’s right, and I was at home when it first started.”

“Speaking of which, when did you notice the change?”

“Right before I called you, actually. And I could see the rain and bones already.”

“That is interesting,” she said, sounding intrigued. “Why did you not mention it at the time?”

“Considering nobody else could seem to see anything, I wasn’t even sure if it was real or not, or if anyone would believe me.”

“While that is understandable, I would have gladly taken your word for it if you told me something was occurring that only you could see.”

Yu started to reply, only to hear a beeping that indicated he was getting another call. He glanced at his phone and saw it was Rise. “Oh, Rise’s calling now.” Figuring he could get both conversations done at once, he asked, “Hey, why don’t I put us all on the same call? We could compare notes.”

After a pause, Naoto answered, “Very well.”

“Great, one sec,” Yu said, before putting Naoto on hold and answering the other call. “Hi Rise.”

“Senpai! Oh, I’m so glad to hear from you!”

Yu had to chuckle. “You really don’t have to call me senpai any more,” he said for the umpteenth time.

“You’ll always be my senpai,” she answered, as usual. Then her tone got a bit more serious as she asked, “Hey, what happened yesterday?”

“I’m on a call with Naoto about that right now. Want me to put us all on the same call?” he asked.

“Oh, that’s a great idea!” she said cheerily.

“Alright, one moment,” Yu told her, then merged the two calls. “OK, can you both hear me now?”

“Yup!” “This is correct,” the two ladies answered.

Naoto and Yu caught Rise up on what they’d discussed so far, then Yu asked, “So Rise, how did you notice something was happening?

“Oh, I was at a studio in Akihabara when it happened,” she answered. “I was in the middle of a photoshoot when suddenly something in the air changed and I could feel my Persona. Nobody else seemed to notice anything, so I couldn’t just leave to check it out. But after a while someone ran down the hall screaming about how it was the end of the world, and people started looking for the nearest window to see what was going on. I went with them, saw the red rain and bone things, and then was able to use the general panic as an excuse to lock myself in a dressing room. From there I could summon my Persona to start scanning around. Then as soon as I started to reach out, I found Naoto!” 

Naoto chimed in, “It was quite fortunate that we were close enough to each other to come in contact. I had been investigating the area while trying to call you, Yu, but both efforts were proving fruitless.”

Yu bit back another apology, for the sake of keeping the discussion moving.

Rise picked up the story again. “When Naoto said she couldn’t reach you, I tried to call as well, but obviously that didn’t go through. Anyway, I’d suspected as much when I found I could use my Persona, but it turned out everything in my reach felt like the TV World. I couldn’t tell how far it stretched, so it could be all of Tokyo as far as I could tell. That was too big of an area for me to scan clearly, but I _could_ tell there was a lot of activity to the south-west.”

Yu mentally consulted a map of Tokyo as he asked, “What kind of activity?” Shibuya was south-west of Akihabara, so he had an idea of what she was about to say.

Sure enough, she answered, “Lots of Shadows, along with something big and powerful. But also some Persona-users! I was too far away to tell how many or to contact them, but there were a few, at least.”

Naoto contributed, “I have since contacted Kirijo-san and confirmed that none of the Shadow Operatives were in the area at the time, so this appears to be an unknown group of Persona-users.”

Yu decided it was time to start choosing his words carefully. He began, “Well, one of the Persona-users you sensed was probably me. I was in Shibuya at the time.”

“Did you notice any of the other Persona-users?” Naoto asked, a bit sharply.

Hoping he could get away without answering the question directly, Yu answered, “Sorry, I was completely focused on fighting the Shadows. There really were a lot of them, and if they hit any of the bystanders even once, that person disintegrated into a puff of smoke. I was trying to protect people by killing as many Shadows as possible, but...” he let his honest regret creep into his voice, “...there were too many for me to stop alone.”

There was a pause before Naoto said, in a somewhat subdued tone, “I observed that, as well. The Shadows were more infrequent in my area then they were in yours, but since I had no way to replenish my strength, I had to focus on avoiding Shadows or defending myself. Thankfully Rise was able to direct me away from most of them, but that did mean they were left unchecked.”

“Good thing you had Rise to guide you, since most of those Shadows resisted, nullified, drained or reflected Mudo or Hama skills,” Yu noted. 

“Yeah, that could have gone badly if I wasn’t around to check their affinities,” Rise said. “Also, it was kind of weird that the Shadows looked like some of Yu’s Personas instead of the Shadows we were used to.”

“Yeah, I have no idea why,” Yu said. He did know beforehand that that’s how they looked here, but he still didn’t know _why_.

Then Rise asked, “Hey Yu, what about that really powerful thing? The reading I was getting indicated it was huge!”

That could only be the god that the Thieves fought. He could answer that question honestly, as long as he omitted everything he heard in the Velvet Room. “Well, I didn’t see it at first. But I did notice a weird circular tower off too...I think the west, from the Buchiko statue? Anyway, after a while, the top of that tower crumbled and something huge came out. It looked a bit like a robotic golden angel, with too many arms and wings that were probably as wide as a city block.”

“Wow, that sounds both really impressive and kind of terrifying,” Rise commented.

“Yeah, I’d say that’s about right,” Yu agreed. “At that point I couldn’t get close to it if I wanted to, because all the Shadows in the area seemed to get berserk or frantic. I had to focus completely on keeping myself safe.”

“Rise did note a surge of energy, after which the Shadows became more active,” Naoto reported. “I would have liked to get closer to the epicenter of events to gain a better understanding of what was occurring. However, given the situation, moving out of Rise’s communication range was ill-advised.”

“Yeah, and that energy kept getting stronger and stronger,” Rise reported. “So Yu, what happened?”

Now they got to the part of the story where there was no way Yu could avoid mentioning the Phantom Thieves. He figured they wouldn’t believe him if he tried to pretend he’d never heard of them before, so he decided to channel a bit of Mishima and act like an eager Phanboy. He began, “Well, after a while there was a burst of energy from that big thing and all the Shadows calmed down a little. Then…” he let some excitement creep into his tone as he said, “Did you see when the logo for the Phantom Thieves showed up on all the screens?”

Rise said, “Yeah, the TV in my dressing room suddenly turned on to that.”

Naoto agreed, “I saw it as well, on the screens outside a nearby store. I recall it was followed by a voice that sounded like a boy saying ‘We will definitely take the world.’”

“Right!” Yu said, letting his excitement grow. “They must have been fighting that thing. And then everyone started cheering for the Phantom Thieves. It was amazing! It felt like every person in the city was calling out to them!” He purposely did not mention that Mishima was the one who started the cheering, or that there was any one person who started at all. 

“I did sense that everywhere I could reach,” Rise reported. “Even in the studio I heard everyone stop panicking, then start getting really excited.”

“That sudden, universal reaction is in itself somewhat alarming,” Naoto noted, sounding pensive. “What could have compelled every person in the city to react that way?”

That gave Yu pause. “Huh. I hadn’t thought about that.” He really didn’t know what exactly caused that. Maybe something about cognition? Or Morgana being Hope? He had a good idea _why_ it had to happen, but not really _how_.

“Please continue,” Naoto prompted. “What happened after the cheering?”

“Oh, right,” Yu said. A proud smile stretched across his face as he asked, “Rise, did you sense when something else big appeared?”

“Well, yeah! I couldn’t miss something that powerful. But it felt like a Persona?” She sounded uncertain about that.

Yu’s smile widened into a grin as he said, “I don’t doubt that it was a Persona, but I didn’t even know Personas could _get_ that big.”

“What did it look like? Tell me in as much detail as you can,” Naoto insisted, somewhat forcefully.

Yu did his best to recall, but he hadn't been able to make out a lot of details from where he had been standing. “It looked like a gigantic black demon. It was as big as the gold thing, with six wings, all leathery. I’m pretty sure it had horns, maybe curved like a ram. And I think it had some kind of military-style coat on. It drew a giant gun that was at least as long as its arm and _shot the gold thing in the face!_ ” He was happy to let his delight shine through in his voice. That god had it coming for messing with people so much.

There was a beat of shocked silence before Rise said, “Woooow,” in a low, awed voice. “So what happened to them after that?”

“Well, the gold thing disintegrated, and the Persona disappeared. Then there was a bright flash of light, and when my vision cleared, everything was back to normal.” Yu skipped the bit where the world was frozen for everyone but the Thieves while the distortion from Mementos disappeared. He was banking on the hope that neither of his friends had been aware of that.

He did add, “And then I got a lot of funny looks for walking home while carrying a katana.”

Rise hummed, then said, “I did sense those two big readings disappear, then the world turned white. When my vision cleared, I couldn’t use my Persona and my manager was knocking on my dressing room door asking if I was done changing for the photo shoot.”

Naoto murmured something that might be agreement, or might just be a thoughtful noise. Pensively she said, “And since then, nobody I’ve spoken to besides us seems to remember what happened.”

“Huh, really?” Yu said, honestly surprised.

“You haven’t noticed? Everyone’s just going about their day the same as usual,” Rise said.

Yu gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “I actually haven’t been out yet today. I slept late and didn’t wake up until shortly before I texted you two. I was exhausted from fighting those Shadows.” He thought back over the night before and added, “I suppose it’s true that as I was heading home, everyone was acting normal, but I was too tired to think anything of it.”

Yu took a moment to consider who might remember what happened. The Thieves all did, of course. He wasn’t sure yet if any of Ren’s confidants would, but he’d probably find out when he looked for Iwai to give him back the gear he’d borrowed. Oh, but if Naoto and Rise remembered, then maybe other Persona-users would as well. He asked, “Naoto, you said you’d contacted Kirijo-san, right? Do any of the Shadow Operatives remember what happened?”

Naoto replied, “Kirijo-san acknowledged that they’re aware something unusual occurred yesterday, but did not give me any details about what they know.”

The Shadow Operatives had a really good navigator on their team, so if she was anywhere in Tokyo at the time, there was a good chance that group was at least aware that Persona-users were involved in yesterday’s events. He’d have to decide if he should warn Ren about that.

“Yu, can you recall any other details of yesterday’s event?” Naoto asked. “Even the smallest observation might help us determine the truth of what occurred.”

Yu winced at that, and was immediately glad this conversation was taking place over the phone instead of in person. He knew the full truth, as much as any human did, but he was willfully trying to obscure it. Guiltily, he tried to comb his memory for anything else he was willing to share.

“Oh!” Rise chimed in, apparently just remembering something. “Yu, Naoto said you’d noticed something was up before either of us. Any idea why that is?”

Yu decided he had no reason to hide that from his friends, since it had nothing to do with the Phantom Thieves, and in fact had far more to do with the Investigation Team. So he said, “Yeah, actually. There’s an object I got at the end of our investigation in Inaba that lets me see through illusions. It’s what enabled me see Izanami’s true form so that we were able to beat her properly. Since then it’s just been an inert trinket with no unusual properties, but yesterday it started glowing. When I picked it up, I could see the rain and bones, so that’s what let me react before anyone else was aware of the danger. But it seems to be back to doing nothing now.”

“Oh, that’s cool, senpai!” Rise said. “You’ve got a special power you can use in the real world!”

Yu’s mouth twisted wryly at that. “Well, that’s debatable. When it worked yesterday, everything felt more like I was in the TV world than the real world. More likely the power only works in a space that’s at least influenced by the supernatural. Not that I have any way of testing that theory, though.” If the past 5 years of his life were any indication, the Orb was basically useless unless the world had gone extremely wrong.

There was a distant shout on one of the other lines, then Rise said, “Oh, that’s my manager. I’ve got to get going. It was good to hear from you, Yu, and Merry Christmas!”

“I suppose my curiosity is satisfied as well,” Naoto said. “Please let me know if you can think of anything else. And Merry Christmas to you too, as well.”

“It’s always good to talk to you both,” Yu said. “Merry Christmas, and I hope you have a good day.”

Yu hung up, then breathed a sigh of relief. He was pretty sure he got through that without revealing anything he didn’t want to about the Phantom Thieves. Hopefully Naoto wouldn’t realize something about the conversation later that would make her suspicious.

Speaking of the Thieves, he wondered how they were doing. He checked the group chat to find they all had been talking about the plans to meet up later that day. Apparently everyone would be bringing something to eat, so Yu should get working on that. 

He went over to his kitchen to poke around and see what he could make from the ingredients on hand. Hopefully something that would still be good if it got cold by the time he got there. He had plenty of potatoes, so maybe croquettes? He didn’t have any beef, though. Oh, but there was the chicken he’d bought yesterday and never had a chance to use, so maybe he could make chicken croquettes. Yeah, that’d work.

He started pulling out ingredients, pushing anything supernatural to the back of his mind. For now, it was Christmas morning, he was looking forward to spending time with his friends, and he had a party to prepare for.


	8. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Yu compare notes about what happened on Christmas Eve.

12/25  
Afternoon

 **Ren:** Fear me, for I am the summoner of Satan, slayer of gods!  
**Yu:** So that giant Persona was Satan?  
**Ren:** Satanael, but close enough.  
**Yu:** Cool. We could start a club of people who’ve shot a god in the face.  
**Ren:** You too, huh?  
**Yu:** Well, more like blasted a goddess in the face with pure truth, but close enough.  
**Yu:** She didn’t die, but she stopped what she was doing and left everyone alone.  
**Ren:** Nice  
**Ren:** Tremble before our might, for we are those who deliver retribution unto the gods!  
**Yu:** All who cross us shall be smote without mercy!  
**Ren:** Is the past tense of smite “smote” or “smitten”?  
**Yu:** Both work, but smitten also means infatuated, so I’m going with smote.  
**Ren:** Fair  
**Ren:** So what happened with you yesterday? I noticed you got a sword and an armored vest at some point.  
**Yu:** I was fighting the Shadows that came down to ground level, to keep them from attacking people. A guy named Iwai saw me, implied he knew you, and offered me some gear.  
**Yu:** I should get those back to him. Where can I find him?  
**Ren:** He owns an airsoft shop called Untouchable, off Central Street.  
**Ren:** How’d he know you know me?  
**Yu:** I also ran into Mishima, and he let something about the Phantom Thieves slip where Iwai could hear.  
**Yu:** When I met Mishima and he introduced himself, I recognized the name from the group chat and asked if he was the one who ran the Phan-site. He said only the Phantom Thieves knew that and asked if I was one.  
**Yu:** I said I’m an ally, gave him my code name instead of my real name, and I will not publicly mention Mishima’s name in relation to Phantom Thieves or the Phan-site ever again.  
**Ren:** Probably not a big deal if Mishima knows, especially since the Metaverse is gone.  
**Ren:** But saying ally and code name were good thinking. The less anyone knows, the better.  
**Ren:** So what did Iwai hear?  
**Yu:** Well, Mishima kept bugging me, insisting he could help, even though I kept telling him to get away from there.  
**Yu:** I said if he can’t fight he should get somewhere safe, but Mishima insisted he’d do anything for the Phantom Thieves.  
**Yu:** Iwai heard “fight” and “Phantom Thieves,” said a certain someone’s been buying gear off him, and offered me a weapon.  
**Yu:** He also brought along some model guns and started shooting Shadows.  
**Ren:** I should have figured Iwai wouldn’t just stand around when he owns a store full of weapons.  
**Yu:** I’m wondering if he’ll remember everything when I go to return the gear, or if he’ll have no idea where I got the stuff.  
**Ren:** Good question. For what it’s worth, Boss remembers, but nobody else I’ve spoken to besides the Thieves seems to think anything unusual happened yesterday.  
**Yu:** Well, I know of at least two more people who remember, but who have nothing to do with you.  
**Yu:** This morning I got a call from a couple of friends of mine, Rise Kujikawa and Naoto Shirogane.  
**Ren:** The idol and the first Detective Prince?  
**Yu:** Yes, though Naoto has always been conflicted about that nickname.  
**Yu:** Yesterday after the rain started but before we ended up in the Velvet Room, I called Naoto to see if she noticed anything.  
**Yu:** She didn’t. But when I was in the middle of fighting, she tried to call me back.  
**Yu:** This morning I found voicemails from her and Rise, and when I texted them that I was OK, they both called.  
**Ren:** Are both of them Persona-users?  
**Yu:** Right, good guess.  
**Ren:** Futaba dug up a video from that LMB Fest, we figured all your high school friends from that were Persona-users.  
**Yu:** And you figured right.  
**Yu:** Both of them were around Akihabara so they didn’t see your big fight. But Rise’s got a navigator-type Persona, so she could sense it a bit.  
**Yu:** They wanted to know what happened, but I didn’t want to rat you guys out, so I told them as much as I could without mentioning I knew the Phantom Thieves.  
**Yu:** But they did probably figure the Thieves are Persona-users, after your logo appeared on every screen.  
**Ren:** It did?  
**Yu:** Oh, you weren’t aware? It was kind of staticy, but it suddenly showed up on every screen in sight. Then we heard Morgana’s voice say “We will definitely take the world.”  
**Yu:** Then Mishima started cheering on the Thieves, and then everyone else did.  
**Yu:** And lo, did the power of bonds grant strength unto the Fool, as it was foretold!  
**Ren:** Let all deliver supplication unto me, that I may ravage those who would oppress us!  
**Ren:** I’m kind of surprised you hid stuff from your friends, considering how often you talk about truth.  
**Yu:** Well...I didn’t _lie_ to them exactly, I just didn’t tell them everything.  
**Yu:** I guess hanging out with thieves is a terrible influence on me.  
**Ren:** Come to the dark side, we have cookies.  
**Yu:** Except I baked those cookies.  
**Yu:** But yeah, I do feel kind of guilty about that.  
**Yu:** There’s a lot of reasons for keeping your secret. For one, I don’t want to betray your trust.  
**Yu:** And I know full well that sometimes you can't be perfectly honest about supernatural stuff, even to people you're close to.  
**Yu:** More notably, there’s the association with the Fool’s Journey. Just like how I don’t want to interfere, I don’t want anyone else to, either. Even if that means hiding stuff from other Persona-users.  
**Yu:** Yesterday looked like it could be the end of your journey, but I’m not going to give anything away until I’m sure.  
**Ren:** Well, thanks. I imagine that was hard on you, so I appreciate it.  
**Ren:** Considering you’re trying to hide stuff from an _actual_ detective, I wouldn’t be surprised if she figures something out. If she asks you directly for what you know about the Phantom Thieves, I don’t mind if you answer.  
**Yu:** Alright, if you’re OK with that.  
**Yu:** But she might not be the only one looking into what happened yesterday. A while back we ran into another group of Persona-users who’d formed a group dedicated to dealing with Shadow-related incidents.  
**Yu:** Naoto got in contact with them after things went back to normal, and she said they’re aware something happened, though I don’t know how much they know. It’s probably safe to assume they knew Personas were involved.  
**Ren:** Wait, there’s a group that makes it their job to deal with Shadows?  
**Ren:** _Where the hell have they been all year!?_  
**Yu:** I have no idea. I haven’t heard anything about them since I encountered them years ago, and I have no way to contact them.  
**Yu:** But from what it’s worth, they didn’t seem like bad people.  
**Ren:** They’re just more authority figures who aren’t taking care of stuff they’re supposed to, leaving us to deal with it instead.  
**Yu:** Hey, that’s not entirely fair. It’s not like there was any sign of Shadows in the real world.  
**Yu:** Not to mention, for all we know that god or Shido was deliberately keeping stuff from them.  
**Ren:** Maybe.  
**Ren:** Thanks for letting me know, though.  
**Yu:** You’re welcome. Just, if you hear from other Persona-users, don’t count them out immediately.  
**Ren:** No promises.  
**Ren:** Ah, Boss wants my help with something. I better go.  
**Yu:** Alright. See you later.


	9. Hang in There, Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwai plans to forget everything that happened on Christmas Eve. Even when that strange grey-haired guy he met comes back to remind him about it.

12/27  
Afternoon  
Untouchable

Iwai was determined to forget that anything unusual had happened on Christmas Eve. This was made easier by the fact that nobody else seemed to remember anything, not even Kaoru. But it was also made harder by the fact that the whole thing had been pretty damn memorable. He kind of wished he’d just grabbed some guns, holed himself and Kaoru in the store and stayed out of whatever madness the Phantom Thieves were up to. Even if that meant that “Jack” guy would’ve been left unarmed and unaided.

...Eh, he probably still could have taken care of himself, with that weird power of his. Which was implied to be something the Phantom Thieves had, too. And the less Iwai thought about that, the better. He could have gone his whole life without ever finding out how the thieves were using his gear to do whatever it was they did. Or who any of their allies were. Just as well that “Jack” sounded like a fake name, maybe a nickname, or even something he made up on the spot. Didn’t matter. Too bad the other two they'd teamed up with seemed to have given their real names. Iwai probably should have made something up, too. Whatever, it’s all in the past now.

He was studiously reminding himself to forget it all when the door of the shop opened. He turned to see if it was a customer or trouble, then couldn’t decide which it was when he saw the guy he’d been trying to forget about, carrying a suspiciously large duffel bag. Alright, should he let on that he recognized the guy or pretend he didn’t know anything?

He opted for the most neutral reaction and just asked, “You need something?”

Jack had smiled at the sight of him, but hesitated at the bland response. Still, after a moment he came up to the desk. “Hey there. I’m just here to return something I borrowed,” he said as he zipped open the duffel bag.

Even before Iwai properly saw the sheathed katana, he was waving the guy off. “Keep it. You’ve earned that much, at least.”

The guy gave him an appraising look, but he tucked the sword back in the bag. “So you remember how I got this, then.” He didn’t sound surprised about that, more like thoughtful.

Iwai grunted. “Doing my best to forget. Safer that way for everyone, right?”

“I suppose that’s true,” Jack replied. He looked pensive for a moment before reaching back into the bag and saying, “Well if you’re sure, I don’t mind keeping such an excellent model, but let me return the vest at least.”

Why was the guy being so stubborn about getting free stuff? “I already told you, it’s yours,” Iwai insisted. “I mean, you freaking put your life on the line to help save Christmas. You can keep a fake sword and an old vest.”

Jack looked pointedly at a rack of body armor nearby, which not only had the exact model of vest in clear view, but had prominent price tags showing it was the most expensive one on display. “Doesn’t look that old to me,” he commented.

Iwai nearly growled at him. “Just shut up and keep the damn thing, call it a Christmas present. Never know when you might need it again.”

That at least got through to the guy, and finally he nodded. “Fair enough. I certainly hope I’ll never need it, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”

That ought to be the end of it, but for some reason the guy didn’t leave right away. He hovered awkwardly by the counter for long enough that Iwai asked, “Anything else?”

That jolted him into talking. “Ah! Yes,” he said. He still hesitated a moment before asking, “Are you alright after all that?” 

Iwai raised an eyebrow at him. What brought that on? “I’m fine, not a scratch on me. You made sure of that.” Was he fishing for compliments, or gratitude or something? That seemed most likely, so Iwai muttered a gruff, “Thanks.”

But apparently not, because Jack said, “Oh, well, you’re welcome, but that’s not what I meant.” Iwai stayed silent and waited for the guy to get to the point. “I meant to ask...well, seeing something like that isn’t exactly easy. I just wanted to ask how you’re handling it.”

Iwai gave a disbelieving snort. What was with this guy? Any normal person would have just run off with the gear and have nothing to do with him ever again, but this guy not only tried to return the stuff, he was making a point to check up on him. _And_ he actually seemed to mean it, judging by the earnest expression on his face.

Waving a dismissive hand at the man, Iwai said, “Yeah, I’m fine. Ain’t the first time I’ve seen something I’d rather not. It’d take more than that to crack me.”

For some reason the guy looked even more concerned at that. “Well, if you change your mind later and want to talk about it, I could give you my number...” he tried to say, but Iwai hurriedly shot him down.

“Are you crazy? I figure the less I know, the better. Like I said, it’s safer that way, right? If someone comes around asking about it all, I can’t spill what I don’t know.”

Jack grudgingly nodded at that, but apparently wouldn’t let it go yet, because he said, “Well, if you change your mind, our mutual friend knows how to reach me.” He seemed to realize something, and added, “Or you could talk to him about it. That would probably work out better.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Iwai said, assuming the “mutual friend” was Ren. “But more than likely I’m never going to say anything about any of it. I know when to keep my mouth shut about stuff I probably shouldn’t have seen. Far as I’m concerned, the only notable thing I did that night was pick up a cake I ordered.” Kaoru had enjoyed that cake, and the only suggestion that he’d noticed anything out of the ordinary was that he’d wondered why Iwai had been out so long picking it up. He’d answered something about traffic and long lines, which satisfied the kid.

“Alright,” Jack replied. “Well, thanks for the gear, and Happy New Year.” He waved as he started heading for the door.

“Yeah yeah, Happy New Year,” Iwai responded, waving the man out. 

Weird guy. Then again, Iwai was arguably not normal himself, so maybe Ren just attracted weirdos. In an effort to keep himself from thinking about who else the kid might know, he went to sort through some supplies he’d been putting off dealing with.


	10. Tip Your Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantom Thieves lay their cards on the table and reveal their Jack to their two new members. The detective wishes to make some inquiries of the honorary Thief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains Royal third semester spoilers.

1/13  
Morning

**Phantom Thieves Chat**

**Crow has been added**  
**Violet has been added**

**Joker:** Welcome to the group chat, guys.  
 **Panther:** Hey there!  
 **Queen:** Welcome.  
 **Noir:** Hello to you both!  
 **Violet:** Hello everyone! Thank you again for helping me out.  
 **Fox:** It was our pleasure.  
 **Skull:** You helped our leader, right? Only fair to return the favor.  
 **Crow:** This appears to be a different group chat from the one I was in before.  
 **Oracle:** Yeah, we weren’t going to let you in our real group chat when we were suspicious of you from the start. We made a second one just for you.  
 **Violet:** Oh, I see a name I don’t know in the participants list. Who is Jack?  
 **Joker:** He’s part of the reason we made a new chat.  
 **Jack:** Hello.  
 **Crow:** That doesn’t explain anything. Is he a Phantom Thief?  
 **Jack:** I’m the honorary Phantom Thief. I don’t fight with everyone, but I know what’s going on.  
 **Violet:** Have we met before? Do you go to our school?  
 **Jack:** No, we haven’t met. I go to Tokyo U.  
 **Violet:** Oh, then you must be older than all of us, Jack-senpai!  
 **Jack:** ...That’s it, you are all now my kohai.  
 **Jack:** My adorable kohai who can call on me any time if you need help with anything.  
 **Violet:** Senpai, could you maybe help me study sometime? You must be really smart if you got into Tokyo U.  
 **Jack:** Of course, give me a call anytime.  
 **Skull:** Yo senpai, can I borrow 1,000 yen?  
 **Jack:** Don’t push your luck, Skull.  
 **Skull:** damn  
 **Crow:** I recall you all mentioning the name Jack before, and claimed he was in that group chat about cats. Were you trying to hide the “real” group chat?  
 **Panther:** Yes, but also there really is a group cat chat.  
 **Noir:** Oh, we should let you two into that one as well! It’s quite fun.  
 **Crow:** I will decline.  
 **Oracle:** Too late, I already added you! You’re stuck looking at cat pics and talking about cat breeds and genetics and stuff!  
 **Violet:** Oh, that sounds fun and informative!  
 **Queen:** Yes, Jack does know quite a bit about cats, and is eager to share the information.  
 **Crow:** Forget the cats for a moment. If Jack knows what’s going on, then does he know about Personas?  
 **Jack:** Yes, I have Personas.  
 **Crow:** You have Personas, plural?  
 **Fox:** That is correct. He is like Joker.  
 **Violet:** You mean he can switch between different Personas, too? That’s amazing, Jack-senpai!  
 **Crow:** If he has that ability and has known you all since at least Sae’s Palace, then why the HELL doesn’t he fight with you all?!  
 **Jack:** Short answer: it’s not my fight. Joker knows my reasons.  
 **Crow:** So you’re just going to sit with your thumbs up your ass and watch while the rest of us fight to stop that self-centered megalomaniac?  
 **Skull:** Dude, not cool!  
 **Jack:** No, actually. I’m going to be joining you for planning meetings from now on.  
 **Noir:** Oh, that’s wonderful news!  
 **Oracle:** Ding! Team advisor has been unlocked!  
 **Crow:** Oh, joy. I simply can not wait to come face-to-face with the illustrious senpai who leaves all the hard work to his dear kohai.  
 **Violet:** Crow-senpai, be nice! I’m sure he has a good reason for it.  
 **Joker:** Let’s meet up after school today, so you two can meet Jack properly and we can go over what we know about the situation.  
 **Panther:** You got it!  
 **Fox:** Understood.  
 **Violet:** Oh, I can’t wait to meet you, Jack-senpai!  
 **Crow:** I am positively beside myself with anticipation.

* * *

1/13  
After School  
Yongen-jaya

Yu ended up arriving at Leblanc last. He’d intended to get there earlier, but the bus schedule was a little less reliable than the train schedule. Still, when he walked through the cafe door, Ren was still making coffee for everyone, so he wasn’t too late. The leader of the Phantom Thieves was the only person behind the counter, so it looked like Boss had left the cafe to them for the time being.

Yu was met by a chorus of greetings from most of the teens in the room, which he responded to with a smile and a wave. The two who did not greet him were Goro Akechi, who looked at him with something resembling suspicion or disdain, and an unfamiliar red-haired girl, who watched him with open curiosity. Yu took a seat at the counter across from the booth they were in and said, “Hey there. You must be Crow and Violet, right?”

The girl’s face brightened in realization. “Oh! Then you must be Jack-senpai.”

The honorific made Yu smile. It was nostalgic to be called that again, particularly in the context of a team of Persona-users. “Yes, that’s my code name,” he answered. “I’m Yu Narukami. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Yu.”

“Oh, the pleasure’s all mine, senpai! I’m Sumire Yoshizawa, and you can call me Sumire if you like.” She gave him a polite bow from her seat.

Akechi stiffly said, “Goro Akechi. I prefer to be addressed by my surname.” It seemed he was making no effort to be cordial, a far cry from his demeanor on TV.

Ren finished distributing drinks to everyone by passing Yu a cup of coffee. As Yu thanked him and took a sip, Haru asked, “I take you already know Yu’s usual coffee order?”

Ren grinned at her as he took his own cup of coffee to a seat in one of the booths. “Sure, because his order is always ‘surprise me.’ I can make literally anything and he’s happy with it.”

A number of the Thieves looked at Yu in surprise. “Damn, really?” Ryuji asked, wide eyed. “Ain’t you worried he’ll slip something weird in there sometime?”

Yu raised an eyebrow while peering over the edge of his coffee cup and asked, “Do you really think Boss would let him get away with messing with someone’s coffee too much?” There was a moment of thoughtful silence, then murmurs of agreement around the room.

Akechi spoke up over the noise. "I believe we never quite finished introductions," he said, his tone clipped. Staring pointedly at Yu, he asked, "Who are you exactly, and what are you to the Phantom Thieves?"

A number of quips came to Yu’s mind, but this was not the time for jokes or light-hearted banter. He carefully set the coffee cup on its saucer, then turned to face the detective. “I’m an ally, an honorary Phantom Thief,” he said seriously. “I help where I can, outside of the Metaverse.”

“And what ‘help’ do you provide, exactly?” Akechi asked, in a tone that said he clearly doubted Yu did any such thing.

“Emotional support, mostly,” Yu responded. “As I’m sure you’re aware, this group has been through some trying times. Sometimes having someone to talk to who understands can help.”

Akechi sneered, “So what, you play therapy dog for a bunch of brats who fall apart whenever something doesn’t go their way?”

A number of the Thieves cried out in protest, their voices blending into an incomprehensible jumble. Yu ignored them and cooly replied, “Well, I’ve played grief counselor after a certain incident that should be abundantly clear to you.”

The room swiftly hushed at that, and even Akechi had no immediate retort. Yu had been entirely focused on the boy during their exchange, but peripherally he noticed Sumire was looking confused and a bit scared, glancing between the two with sharp jerks of her head. Oh right, she hadn’t been with the Thieves during Okumura’s death, or in fact for any of Akechi’s checkered history with the Thieves. 

Hoping to ease the tension a little, Yu broke eye contact with Akechi to take another sip of his coffee. When he looked up, he said in a more neutral tone, “And as for how I can help now...I can see the truth.”

The room was silent again, but this time it had an air of curiosity rather than tension. “What do you mean?” Makoto finally asked.

“I can see through illusions and falsehoods,” Yu clarified. “Which means that right now, I can distinguish everything that’s been changed by Maruki’s false reality and see how things should be in truth.”

“Wait, really?!” Futaba burst out, sitting up to stare at him eagerly. “How does that even work?” 

Relaxing slightly now that they were on a less confrontational topic, Yu said, “When something’s changed, I can see images of the old and the new overlaid on each other. When I see a cognition of someone who’s absent, I can tell. And when I’m in the subway, I can see Mementos.”

The excitement among the Thieves dampened somewhat at that. “You see Mementos all the time? That must make riding the trains unsettling,” Ann observed.

Yu smiled wryly at the comment. “Yeah, I’ve been sticking to busses for now.”

Akechi apparently jumped on the chance to mock Yu, because he retorted, “Oh, are you scared to spend a mere ten minutes among some oh-so-spooky scenery and pathetically weak Shadows?”

Sighing at the boy’s attempt to rile him up, Yu said, “No, I’m not scared at all. Nothing in Mementos is a threat to me.”

“Fearless, are you?” the detective said in tones of extreme scepticism. “Well, why don’t you sit down there for half an hour and prove-”

Futaba interrupted him, “Don’t bother. He already one-shotted the Reaper, trying to goad him to fight it will just make you look worse.”

Akechi froze, a look of wide-eyed shock on his face. Then he practically growled “ _What._ ”

Yu just took another sip of his coffee.

Ryuji spoke up, “Yeah, dude. We all saw it. One spell and BOOM!” he threw his hands wide in an explosive gesture before finishing, “Nothing left.” The rest of the Thieves nodded in confirmation, aside from Sumire who looked torn between being confused and cautiously impressed.

Akechi stayed motionless for a moment, before his face twisted to an expression of fury. He started to scream, “THEN WHY THE F-” before visibly cutting himself off. He took in a deep breath, hissed it out slowly through his teeth, then continued in a voice that was back to conversational levels but dripping with scorn, “Then why, if you are so strong, do you not fight with the rest of us, _senpai_?” The way he spat out the honorific made it sound like an insult.

Yu resisted the urge to sigh again. Looks like the angry little guy wouldn’t let this go without a good explanation. So he asked, “What do you know about tarot?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Akechi snapped.

“Everything,” Yu replied. He proceeded to explain how the major Arcana related to Personas, about the Fool’s Journey, how he and Ren were Fools and thus Wild Cards, and how he was deliberately trying not to interfere with Ren’s journey. Then he added, “I’ve worked with another team of Persona-users in the past, and my own journey is done.”

Most of the Thieves had heard this already, and were nodding along or just waiting for the explanation to finish. Sumire had still looked confused when Yu started, but as he went on she looked more and more impressed. When he finished she said, “That’s amazing, senpai!”

Akechi’s expression never changed from one of annoyed disdain. He merely glanced at Ren and commented, “How appropriate that you’re a fool, after some of the idiotic choices you’ve made.”

A number of the Thieves bristled at that, before Haru sweetly said, “It occurs to me, Akechi-kun, that since you can use two Personas, you may be a Fool as well.”

Before anyone else could respond to that, Ren immediately interjected, “No, he’s Justice.”

Silence met the announcement, before everyone looked to Yu for confirmation. He just shrugged. “He’d know better than me,” he informed them.

They looked puzzled at that before Ann asked, “Why?”

...Had Yu and Ren ever properly explained their bonds with people? The older Wild Card cast a questioning look at the younger, silently asking _Should we tell them?_ Ren gave him back a flat look that said _Not the time._ So Yu just shrugged again and said, “It’s a Wild Card thing.”

Trying to get the conversation back on track, Yu said, “Anyway, since I can see the truth, I can confirm that the false world is starting to overwrite the real one. To my sight, small differences are starting to blur together. But I can’t tell if it’ll take a month or not.” There were general cries of alarm at that, then everyone turned to comparing information and making plans. Akechi pointedly avoided speaking to Yu for the rest of the meeting, which was just fine with him.

The meeting ended with the Thieves heading to Maruki’s Palace to continue exploring, aside from Yu who just went home.

* * *

1/19  
After School  
Yongen-jaya

Several days later, Ren had called the Thieves together for another meeting. As soon as Yu stepped off the bus in Yongen-jaya, he heard a voice growl, “Hello, _senpai._ ”

Yu spotted the detective lurking in the shadow of a nearby building and nodded evenly to him. “Hello, Akechi-kun,” he responded, pointedly using the honorific, though he kept his tone neutral.

When Yu started towards the nearby alley to head to Leblanc, Akechi stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Before we join the others, might I have a moment of your time?” Akechi asked. His words were polite enough, but his tone was icy.

Nodding, Yu replied evenly, “Certainly, what is it you wish to talk about?”

Rather than answering right away, Akechi gestured with one hand to a nearby alley that was particularly narrow and overshadowed by the surrounding buildings. “Let’s take this conversation somewhere a bit more private, shall we?”

Yu raised an eyebrow at him. “You really think I’ll follow you alone down a dark alley just because you asked?”

Akechi dropped his hand and sneered, “I thought you weren’t afraid of anything.”

“I said I’m not afraid of anything in Mementos,” Yu clarified. “And I’m not afraid of you, either. But that still doesn’t mean I’d willingly put myself in an isolated location with someone who’s being blatantly antagonistic to me. I may be a Fool, but I’m not stupid.” 

Still, Yu shifted Arahabiki to the front of his mind in case the detective tried to attack him. With the world the way it was right now, he could feel his Personas in a way that he usually only could in the various forms of the Metaverse. He had a pretty good feeling that he could call on his Personas if need be, or use one to allow physical attacks to bounce off him.

Akechi scoffed, “Fine. Then tell me why you’re really here, if you refuse to fight.”

Yu resisted the urge to sigh. “I already told you last time. I’m not going to repeat myself.”

“Bullshit,” Akechi snapped. “I don’t buy any of that ‘fool’s journey’ crap. You can’t honestly think you’re helping Ren save the world by refusing to help him at all.”

“Whether you like it or not, it’s the truth. Ren and I both have seen proof of it.” Yu was starting to get annoyed at Akechi, so he said, “And frankly, you’re lucky that I did decide to stay out of the Thieves’ business.”

“Oh? And why might that be?” the boy jeered.

Unconsciously shifting his stance to one that put him on better footing for a fight, Yu said, “Because I don’t take kindly to threats on my friends’ lives. I wouldn’t hurt you, that’s not my style. But I’m good friends with the original Detective Prince, and she works with some very powerful people. One tip from me and I’m sure they could have kept you locked away for a long time, no matter what Shido tried.”

The two stared at each other, eyes locked in matching glares. Then as Yu gave Akechi his full, unblinking focus...he noticed the boy seem to jitter subtly. His brow creased slightly in puzzlement.

Akechi must have noticed the change in expression, because he barked “What,” his tone as wary as it was angry.

Yu hummed noncommittally and looked the detective over. The entirety of him appeared to be wavering slightly, an effect like faint shudders or ripples. Now that Yu had noticed, he couldn’t believe he’d missed it before. He glanced around the area, confirming that this effect was only on Akechi, and didn’t appear on anything else in the area.

“What is it?” the boy growled, sounding like he was trying to hide something (worry, maybe) behind a veil of anger.

Yu was considering how to respond when he felt suddenly that he was being watched. He snapped his head around to scan the street, and in a moment he’d spotted the source of the feeling. A short distance down the road there was a presence, something Yu could just barely distinguish as a faint disturbance in the air, more sensed than seen.

"Answer the damn question!" Akechi shrieked, but Yu just held up a hand to silence him.

"We're being watched," the man said, not taking his eyes off the barely visible presence. "And I'm not going to say another word until they leave."

Akechi started to yell again, but Yu tuned him out. Instead he tucked his hand into his pocket so he could wrap his fingers around the Orb of Sight. It didn't make the image any clearer, unfortunately. He held on to it anyway as he very carefully kept his focus on the presence, barely blinking to make sure he didn’t lose it. It tried to back a couple blocks down the road, then duck behind some things. Yu kept up his steady glare no matter what it tried to shake him. 

Eventually the presence disappeared. Yu waited a few moments, his senses on high alert, to make sure it didn’t come back. He carefully looked up and down the street and scanned the sky, then finally relaxed slightly when it seemed the presence was truly gone.

Akechi had gone quiet at some point, but now he asked, “What was that all about? There was nobody there.”

Yu decided standing by the bus stop on a relatively busy road wasn’t the best place to continue this conversation, so he gestured to the alley that led to Leblanc, and suggested, “Why don’t we get off the street first?” Akechi looked at him with naked suspicion, but eventually nodded.

They headed down the alley, then Yu turned off into a small courtyard between some apartment buildings. It was out of public view, but open enough that he didn’t feel penned in with the volatile detective. And if the presence came back, there were much less places it could watch them from.

The two ended up standing to one side of the courtyard, facing each other just out of arm’s reach. At Akechi’s impatient look, Yu began, “Like I said, someone was watching us. I could only barely see them, so I can’t be 100% certain, but it was probably Maruki. The first time I felt someone watching me like that, the behavior of everyone around me suddenly changed, so he’s the most likely suspect.”

At the news, Akechi looked a little less angry and a little more thoughtful, and commented, “That sounds like a logical deduction. So he’s able to change the behavior of others at will. Do you know to what extent he can influence people?”

Yu shook his head. “Sorry, but I don’t. I just know the change I saw was subtle, everyone in the area suddenly stopped paying attention to something and went back to what they were doing. If he tried to influence me to do the same, I can’t tell.”

The detective brought one hand up to his chin in a contemplative pose as he considered this, then asked, “You said you could barely see him. What exactly did you see?”

“It was a faint shimmer in the air, like a heat haze,” Yu reported. “Not even defined enough to say for sure that it was human-shaped, although it did seem human-sized. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if I couldn’t also feel him watching me.”

Akechi nodded slowly at the news, then his gaze sharpened. “And just before Maruki showed up, what did you see?”

Yu didn’t try to pretend he didn’t know what the detective meant. The shimmery effect was still on him, even more visible now that they were in full sunlight. “I’m not quite sure,” he said after a moment. “It’s not something I’ve seen before.”

Akechi’s face darkened, and he clenched both his fists at his sides as he snarled, “Just tell me already! Am I already dead or not?”

Yu was taken completely off-guard by the question. “What? Why would you think that?”

Rather than answering right away, the boy asked, “How much do you know about what the Phantom Thieves have been doing in the Metaverse?”

“Assume I know everything, and I’ll ask for clarification if I need to,” Yu told him.

Akechi eyed him for a moment, then asked, “Do you know what happened in the engine room of Shido’s Palace?”

Ah. Yu was starting to get where this was coming from. The Thieves had been pretty upset about seeing Akechi get shot by his cognitive double and apparently dying, so naturally they had needed to talk about it. Yu nodded solemnly.

Akechi wouldn’t quite meet his eyes now. “I have no memory between that and finding myself in Shibuya on Christmas Eve. With that in mind, and knowing the cases of Isshiki and Okumura, it was not a difficult conclusion to draw.” He brought his gaze back to meet Yu’s and said insistently, “You claim to see the truth. So what do you see when you look at me?”

Well, he probably deserved whatever answers Yu could give him. “As I said, I’m not sure,” he answered. Akechi started to scowl, but Yu continued, “You don’t look like a cognition, though.” That made Akechi pause, and he waited expectantly.

Yu explained, “To me, cognitions look sort of ghostly, a see-through image walking around. When someone’s real, but changed, I see two images on top of each other, like a double exposure video. You look like neither of those. You look mostly solid, but there’s a subtle waver to you, like faint ripples. I don’t know what it means.”

Akechi scowled again, but it looked more frustrated than angry. “Do you have any idea how to figure out what that means? Is there any way we could gather more information?”

Yu ran through his observations and interactions with the false reality. Is there anything that might give them a hint?...Ah. He held out his hand as if for a handshake and said, “Give me your hand.”

Eying it warily, Akechi asked, “Why?”

“Because I can’t touch cognitions,” Yu explained. “They pass right through me. If I can touch you, that gives us a clue.” And he wasn’t just going to reach out and try to touch the prickly young man uninvited. 

Akechi looked at the hand for a moment as if it were about to leap up and bite him. Finally he took a step closer, started to lift his left hand, then corrected and switched to his right so he could reach out and clasp the offered hand.

Yu gripped Akechi’s hand firmly and smiled. “You’re not a cognition.”

After staring at their joined hands for a moment, Akechi looked up at Yu, a complex mixture of doubt and hope in his eyes. “Are you certain of it? That I’m not just some puppet Maruki put here to make someone feel better?”

Yu tried not to let his smile slip. Had this boy been having an existential crisis since possibly Christmas? He squeezed Akechi’s hand a bit tighter and said, “I’m sure you’re at least mostly real,” with as much certainty as he could muster. Though really that might be stretching things a bit; it would be more accurate to say he was certain Akechi wasn’t entirely fake, but he was erring on the side of being more comforting. He continued, “I don’t know exactly what’s going on with you, or what might happen if Maruki’s false reality is removed. But I doubt he would let you actively fight against him if he had any control over you.”

Akechi stared at him a moment longer, then his gaze drifted down to their hands. “I think our current information is insufficient. I would like proof that you are unable to touch cognitions.”

It was reasonable that he’d want information, and he probably needed time to process this. “Fair enough. There’s a dog in Yongen-jaya that’s a cognition, some time we could go over and try to pet it.”

“That will do,” Akechi said, sounding like he was trying to pull himself back into professional mode.

“Alright, for now let’s go join the others. They’re waiting for us,” Yu said. Akechi probably could use a hug, but Yu felt he wouldn’t appreciate the offer. He thought even a friendly clap on the shoulder would be a bit much for the guy, so he just squeezed his hand one more time before letting go. 

As Yu led the way to Leblanc, Akechi spoke up to say, "Don't tell the others."

Yu looked over his shoulder at the detective and nodded. "Sure, if that's what you want."

At the Phantom Thieves meeting shortly after, Akechi still wasn’t exactly friendly to Yu, but he stopped being overtly antagonistic, aside from occasionally calling him “senpai” sarcastically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third semester Akechi is best Akechi. He’s so much fun. :D
> 
> Akechi: *is being a yappy little puppy*  
> Yu: *casually slaps him away* Hush, the grown-ups are talking.  
> Akechi: *keeps growling, which turns into whines*  
> Yu: *pats him on the head*


	11. Hope Springs Eternal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cat and the Jack have a casual chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains Royal spoilers.

1/23  
Afternoon  
Shibuya

As often happened, Morgana found himself wandering alone, killing time until Ren finished talking to someone. The leader of the Phantom Theives had wanted to speak to Yusuke about something today, so as the two boys met up in the underground walkway, Morgana slipped out of Ren’s bag to give them some privacy.

He was padding along aimlessly through the train station, considering how to spend the time - people-watching was usually what he ended up settling on - when he spotted Yu standing off to one side of the hallway. Perhaps he’d go say hi. He did enjoy spending time with Yu, since he was one of the few people who actually made Morgana think that being in a feline form might not be so bad. 

As he headed towards Yu, he realized the man was just staring at the wall. Morgana looked the area over, wondering what had his attention, but it appeared to be the same blank white tile as most of the rest of the station, without even an advertisement or graffiti to make it interesting. Even so, as he looked at that unremarkable spot, his face had an odd expression. He looked concerned, and maybe even a little unsettled.

Morgana wondered what that was about, so he spoke up. “Hey, Yu.”

The man blinked, looked down at Morgana, then smiled brightly. “Morgana! It’s great to see you.”

Alright, Morgana had to admit he liked the way Yu looked at him, like seeing him was the best thing that had happened to him all week. It made him feel like maybe being a cat was a good thing, if he could make someone this happy just by showing up. Sure, there were plenty of others who looked down on him for being a cat. (Actually, in a literal sense, everybody did because he was so small.) But if the people most important to him appreciated him, he could be happy with that.

(If only Lady Ann would look at him that way...no wait, he’s a cat and she’s a human, it would be weird for him to keep pining for her affections. 

...Maybe he could just keep those feelings hidden deep in his heart where nobody else had to know about them)

But now he had more important things to be thinking about, like what was bothering Yu. So he asked, “What were you looking at?”

Yu’s expression turned a little more somber at that, and he glanced back at the wall before answering, “Mementos.” Before Morgana could figure out how to respond, Yu added, “Specifically, those rainbow-colored tendrils that are snaking through it. More and more of them are coming out and wrapping around the city.” He gestured towards the wide entryway of the station that led to the square outside, which presumably had those tendrils winding out of it to the surrounding buildings.

“That doesn't sound good,” Morgana said, glancing up at the wall even though he couldn’t see anything unusual in the real world. “It’s probably a sign of Maruki forcing his false reality on the city, huh?”

Yu nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the more of those I see, the more the real and false realities are blurring together.”

Mornaga hummed thoughtfully, continuing to stare at the wall. He could feel Mementos just out of sight, like he always could. There was that usual tingle just beneath his skin that told him if he shifted his focus just right, he’d find himself in the Metaverse. But unlike Yu, he couldn’t see it until he was actually there. “You said you can see Mementos all the time now, right?” he asked.

“That’s right,” Yu confirmed. “I also found I can walk right into it without using the Metanav.”

Morgana’s ears and tail perked up in surprise. “Really?” He thought all humans needed the app to get into the Metaverse. Nobody was more in tune with the other world than him. He found himself wanting to show off just a bit, so he said, “Well, me neither. I’ve always been able to walk right in and out of the Metaverse. Watch this.” He strode forward confidently, the world rippling around him as he passed from one realm to the next.

There was the usual moment of disorientation as he went from having four legs to two, but he’d long gotten used to it. He couldn’t have anyone seeing his stylish, graceful self stumble over something so small, after all. Then he turned to look back at where Yu had been.

To his surprise, he could still see the man a bit, even though he couldn’t see anything else about the real world. Yu’s image was semi-transparent and there was maybe a faint fuzz to him, like TV static, but he was clear enough. He was also looking straight at his short friend and smiling. Then he started to take a step forward, but suddenly froze and stared off over his shoulder, frowning. That was the direction of the square, wasn’t it? Was there something going on outside? But before Mona could head out to check, Yu turned back and resumed walking towards him. There was the ripple effect, and then he faded fully into view.

“Was there something going on outside?” Mona asked. In response to the man’s puzzled look, he added, “I could see you a bit, but nothing else outside the Metaverse.”

“Huh, interesting,” was the response. “But yeah, there was something. Or more accurately, someone. I’m pretty sure Maruki has been spying on me.”

Mona’s tail shot straight up in alarm. “What? How?!” he cried out.

His friend held up a hand in a placating gesture. “Calm down, Morgana, it’s-”

“Code names!” Mona snapped out of reflex. When he got a surprised look at the interruption, he realized the man might not have heard the reason for code names in the first place. So he explained, “They’re more important in Palaces, to keep the Palace ruler from subconsciously realizing who’s after their distorted desires, but you can never be too careful in Mementos. Remember to always use code names in the Metaverse, Jack.”

The rationale was met with a nod. “Got it, Mona.” After pulling out his glasses and slipping them on, Jack sat down on the ground in front of his fellow Thief. Mona appreciated that this meant he wouldn’t have to crane his neck so far back to look up at the man as they talked. And actually, that was probably Jack’s intention in the first place. He was considerate like that.

“So anyway, about Maruki,” Jack began. “I’m not 100% sure, but it’s most likely him. I’ve been periodically getting a feeling that someone’s watching me, and when I look at where it’s coming from, I can see a faint shimmer in the air and sense a presence there. He just pops up randomly, sometimes follows me, and occasionally when he’s present, the behavior of people around me changes slightly.” 

“He can make people change their behavior at will? That’s rather alarming,” Mona observed. 

“Yeah,” Jack agreed, then shrugged. “He hasn’t done anything to me directly, so I’m trying to ignore him.” Then he frowned and added, “Though the other day he was watching me throughout one of my classes, hovering outside the window. That was extremely irritating. I may have to let him know I’m not happy with him.”

Mona tilted his head curiously. “How do you intend to do that?”

“I haven’t actually thought about that yet,” was the answer. Jack looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled and continued, “I’ll figure something out.”

“Hmm. Well if you need help, you can always ask us,” Mona informed him. He just got a nod in return. Mona was a little worried about Maruki following Jack, but he was pretty sure the Wild Card could take care of himself, in or out of the Metaverse. “How long has this been happening?” he asked, waving a paw vaguely in the air.

“This what? Maruki watching me, or me being able to walk into Mementos?” Jack asked

Mona had meant Maruki, but now that he mentioned it…”Both, actually.”

Jack thought about that for a moment before answering, “Well, I first noticed Maruki a couple days into the new year. The first time was when I was heading into Leblanc for a team meeting, he seemed to be standing in the alley nearby. I told him to leave you all alone, and thankfully he didn’t try to follow me in, or show up during any other meetings.”

Mona was rather alarmed to hear this. “He was at Leblanc? You should have said something!” 

“Ah, sorry about that,” Jack told him. “I’ve been keeping careful watch to make sure he’s not around when we’re planning, though. He hasn’t been anywhere near whenever we’re at the cafe since then.”

“Well, I guess that’s good,” Mona conceded. “But tell everyone at the next meeting! We need to know as much as we can about him in case it's relevant to the infiltration.”

Nodding, Jack said, “I’ll be sure to do that.” Then he looked around the area and said, “As for Mementos, I mentioned before that I’ve been able to see it all the time since around New Year’s, so I’ve been avoiding it. But about two weeks into the year, I had to ride the subway in order to get somewhere in time. While I was riding it, I had a feeling that if I stepped out of the part of Mementos that overlaps with the subway, I'd find himself fully in Mementos. Then I came back a couple days later to confirm it.”

“Hmm, so you might have been able to walk into Mementos any time after you started being able to see it,” Mona mused aloud.

“It’s quite likely,” Jack agreed. “But I have no reason to enter Mementos, so I haven’t bothered to, aside from that one time I tried it just to see if I could.”

While Mona didn’t mind if Jack temporarily shared the ability to walk straight into the Metaverse, he was rather proud of the fact that he could do it naturally. So he reiterated, “Well, I’ve always been able to enter and exit the Metaverse at will.”

To his surprise, Jack had an unexpectedly warm look form on his face before he said, “That’s probably because of what you are, right? A being born of the Velvet Room, an embodiment of Hope. It’s no wonder you have such a unique connection to the Metaverse.”

Mona didn’t know what to make of Jack’s expression. It was nice, but not in the same way as when the man had first spotted him that day. It was kind of...fond? Maybe something else too, it was hard to say. So he asked, “Hey, what’s with that look on your face?”

The question seemed to make Jack snap out of whatever he’d been thinking. “Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking we’re alike in a way. I represented Hope once.”

“Really?” Mona asked, tilting his head curiously. “How?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have any literal or magical or whatever connection to Hope, like you do,” Jack clarified, waving a hand as if to dismiss the thought. “I was just a designated representative. A goddess decided I fit the role, picked two other people that she felt represented Emptiness and Despair, and without my knowledge or consent, she set us all against each other in a weird game to see who had the greatest impact on people.”

Mona didn’t miss the similarities between that situation and Joker’s, but he just asked, “Did you win?”

Jack shook his head. “Not really. Emptiness won, but then my friends and I beat up the goddess, so the point was moot anyway.”

“Ha! Just like Joker,” Mona noted. “If a god’s playing naughty, then it needs to be punished.”

“Yup. Though I came first, so actually Joker’s just like me,” Jack pointed out.

If it were anyone else, Mona would turn around and argue that Joker was unique after all. But it wasn’t such a bad thing to follow in the older Wild Card’s footsteps, so he just hummed thoughtfully and nodded. Still…“Joker did take it a step farther than you, though,” he pointed out. “He actually killed a god! You didn’t manage that, did you?”

That made Jack chuckle. “No, I can’t say I did. I’ll admit, he has me beat there.”

The little thief preened a bit at that. _His_ Wild Card was clearly exceptional. And Joker wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without Mona to help show him the way. 

Mona did start to wonder why Jack was picked to represent Hope, but quickly decided it made sense. He’d always been good at encouraging the Thieves, keeping Joker’s spirits up, helping him move forward...hmm.

“Maybe you’re still Hope,” Mona said thoughtfully.

Jack gave him a quizzical look. “But Izanami and her game are long gone,” he pointed out.

Mona shook his head so hard his ears flapped around. “No, not for her, for Joker!” Jack still looked puzzled, so he explained, “Even when Joker didn't believe in himself, you believed in him, and encouraged him until he could keep going. If that's not hope, what is?”

Jack looked surprised for only a moment before a smile crept across his face. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m happy to be hope for him any time. Though you’ve probably done the same for him.”

“Well, that fits, too. We’re both Hope,” Mona pointed out.

“True,” Jack said, then held out a hand to his companion. “Let’s keep being hope buddies together.”

Mona stepped forward to clasp the man’s hand with one of his paws. “Yeah. Whenever he needs hope, we’ll be there.”

The pair shook on it (and for once, Jack held Mona’s paw without mentioning toe beans.) Once they let go there was a beat of slightly awkward silence before Jack asked, "So what were you doing in the train station, anyway?”

“Oh, Joker wanted to talk to Fox about something, so I went for a walk until they were done,” Mona answered.

Jack nodded slowly, then asked, “Well, if you’ve got some time to kill, want to get sushi with me?”

“Sushi!” Mona cheered eagerly. He didn’t need to say a word more.

Smiling, Jack said, “Great! I don’t have a bag to carry you in, so it’ll have to be take-out.”

“Oh! Then make sure to get fatty tuna, and…” Mona continued to list off his favorite types of sushi as the pair headed back out of Mementos.

Yu promptly texted Ren to let him know that he was taking Morgana out for sushi and not to expect his feline friend back for the rest of the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, Yu and Morgana had a full conversation and they managed to never mention cats once. :D


	12. The Devil’s in the Details (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ohya knows something freaky went on during Christmas Eve, even though most people seem oblivious. But she’s not one to shy away from tough stories, and she’s determined to get the scoop on this.

12/24  
Evening   
Shibuya

What in the freaking Hell just happened?

One minute the whole city was cheering on the Phantom Thieves from a blood-soaked Hell world, then suddenly there’s a bright light and next thing you know, the city’s back to normal and everyone’s going about their day as if nothing had happened.

After seeing all that, Ohya really wanted a drink. But there was a story here, and she needed to get her thoughts in order while the memory was still fresh.

OK, let’s back up and review the facts. She pulled out her notebook and started taking notes.

Fact: On Christmas Eve, at approximately...sometime in the afternoon (she glanced at her watch and noted down the current time, as an approximation of when things ended) the sky started raining blood and weird bone spires started bursting up out of the ground. (she started doodling what the bone things looked like, found it looked like unrecognizable scribbles, and moved on to more important things.)

Fact: Most people initially had no idea that anything was wrong. They apparently couldn’t see all the strange stuff and kept going around like normal.

Fact: After some time (approximately...an hour? Half? She really should have been keeping notes during the event) a few scattered people noticed something was off, but just to the extent of “something doesn’t seem right.” Over time more people became aware of their surroundings, and most started panicking.

Fact: Around the time that people started noticing, giant robot-angel-monster things showed up and started attacking people. Anyone hit by them disappeared. Just literally went up in smoke.

Fact: One of the (apparently) first people who noticed something was wrong was a guy who’d been running around fighting the monsters with a sword and _freaking magic powers._

This guy seemed important, so she jotted down as much about him as she could remember: male, tall-ish, grey hair in a bowl cut, glasses, approximately early 20s, wearing a dark peacoat with what looked like an armored vest over it.

Fact: He was followed around by a plain-looking boy in a Shujin uniform and a man wearing a long coat, hat, yellow ear protectors who was shooting the monsters with a gun. He was maybe middle-aged? Hard to tell with his outfit. They were later joined by a woman, long grey hair, professional-looking pantsuit, and also fighting with a gun, probably 20s or 30s. (Where did these guys even get guns and swords? How did they just happen to have weapons and body armor handy in the middle of the city?)

As she jotted down her notes, she had a feeling that school kid seemed familiar. She paused to picture him again, trying to figure where she’d seen that plain-looking kid. The uniform was certainly familiar. She _had_ been investigating Shujin because...Oh, right! She’d interviewed him after the Kamoshida incident, about the Phantom Thieves. Yuki Mishima, kind of a shy and nervous guy, but really animated when he got to talking about the Thieves. Come to think of it, she’d heard him shouting and cheering on the Thieves when their logo appeared on every screen in sight. Maybe he was still around, she would love to see if he still remembered all that.

She hurriedly started jogging through the crowd, trying to look for the kid. Or any of the others, but she had a feeling she’d have a better chance of getting the kid to talk. She scanned every face in sight, but there were a whole lot of people (it _was_ Shibuya on Christmas Eve, after all) and it was getting dark. The kid might have already left, but she had to keep looking anyway.

Just when she was about ready to give up and just go dig up his number from that time she interviewed him, she spotted a dark-haired boy in a Shujin uniform. She rushed over, double-checked that she had the right kid, then called out brightly, “Hey, Mishima-kun! Fancy meeting you here!”

The kid jumped and turned to look at her wide-eyed. “O-Ohya-san?” he stammered.

Damn, why did he look so nervous? OK, best to keep the tone light with him, don’t make it sound like an interview, and keep the focus on the Phantom Thieves as much as possible. He seemed to adore them, and if anything would get him talking, it’d be a chance to praise the Thieves.

Keeping an easy smile on her face, she said, “Man, I never would have guessed the Phantom Thieves could pull off something like that.” It was honestly a ham-fisted way to start a conversation, and she wasn’t even sure what “that” was. But as long as it got the kid talking, it was fine.

And it did the trick. He immediately brightened up and said, “Yeah, it was amazing! Fighting through all those monsters and taking down that giant thing…they’re real heroes!”

Good, so he actually remembered. Now keep him talking. “Pretty nice of them to save the city even after everyone’s been railing on them for so long.”

Mishima looked rather proud as he replied, “I knew everyone would see how great they were! No matter what people have been saying, I never stopped supporting them!”

Yeah, yeah, they’re great and all. Now to direct him to the important stuff. “Yeah, I heard you cheering them on. You did a good job of rallying up the crowd.”

He actually looked a bit bashful at that. “Well, I couldn’t _not_ cheer them on. I’m just glad everyone actually listened and joined in.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short, kid. You did good!” Now for what she really wanted to know. “And you were pretty impressive before that too, running around and fighting off those monsters.”

He looked even more sheepish at that and started rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “Nah, I didn’t do that much. I was just support, not really fighting. Jack did all the hard work.”

She had a name! She was eager to press for more information, but with an effort she managed to mostly keep her tone casual as she asked, “Jack?”

Mishima’s face lit up again, almost as much as when he was talking about the Phantom Thieves. “Yeah, he was so cool! He jumped right into it, like he knew just what to do about those things. And-” Then he suddenly cut himself off, his eyes going wide. 

She really hoped he wasn’t about to clam up, so she tried to get him talking again by saying, “Well, it’s a good thing we had people like you guys to keep us safe.”

“Yeah, r-right,” he said, going nervous again. Damn, he looked ready to bolt. Fishing for anything to keep him here and talking, she started to ask, “Hey, what do you think-”

But before she could finish the thought, he practically shouted “Sorry I gotta go bye!” and bolted.

No point in chasing after him, he wasn’t going to talk now. Ohya could only assume what little he’d dropped wasn’t something he was supposed to share. She pulled out her notebook again and wrote “Jack?” next to the notes about the grey-haired guy. Then she added, “Familiar with fighting those monsters?”

That was really all she had. Jack was a foreign name, wasn’t it? Was he foreign, or part so? She didn’t get a close enough look at him to tell. Anyway, it might be hard to look into him with just a first name, but surely there weren’t too many grey-haired 20-somethings out there.

Speaking of people who were too young for gray hair, there was the woman who was running around with him, and the other guy carrying a gun. There was probably a slim chance that either of them were still around, but she took a run around the square to look for them anyway. 

As expected, she had no luck. She’d just have to look into them the old-fashioned way.

* * *

12/26  
Morning  
Shibuya

It turned out the guy with the long coat was easiest to find. After she gave his basic description to one of her contacts, along with a mention of weapons and body armor, she was quickly given a name (Munehisa Iwai, rumored to be ex-yakuza) and pointed to an airsoft shop off Central Street called Untouchable. The store was closed on Christmas, but open again the day after. So naturally, the first chance she got, Ohya paid the store a visit.

Before she entered, she peeked into the window to check if Iwai was there. And there he was, sitting behind the counter reading a magazine and looking exactly the same as he had on Christmas Eve. Confident that she had the right person, she opened the door and went in.

Iwai glanced up from his magazine, then immediately said, “If you’re not here to buy something you may as well leave right now.”

Pasting a friendly smile on her face, Ohya answered, “What makes you think I’m not here to buy something?

“Well, are you?” he shot back, with one eyebrow raised. 

“I could be,” she told him. “Maybe I’ll take a look at what you’ve got.”

“What I’ve _got_ is for enthusiasts,” he said dismissively. “And if you can’t even tell me what you’re looking for, then this ain’t the place for you.” Then he turned back to his magazine.

Well, that could have gone better. She’d been trying to keep him from dismissing her out of hand, but it looks like she had no chance of that. Determined to keep soldiering on anyway, she said, “What I’m looking for is whatever you used to fight those monsters on Christmas Eve.”

He looked at her like she’d grown a second head and said, “What the Hell are you talking about?”

“I won’t tell anyone what you know about it,” she assured him. “I’m just trying to figure out what happened.”

“Damn right you won’t tell anyone, cuz I have nothing to say,” he retorted.

Well, if he wasn’t going to answer any questions, maybe she could drop some names and see if he had any involuntary reaction to them. “Hey, I’m as big a fan of the Phantom Thieves as that Mishima kid,” she said brightly, trying not to show that she was watching him closely. “It was really something to see them fighting that giant monster and saving the city. And you and Jack and everyone were pretty impressive too.”

But Iwai had no visible reaction to anything she said. He just gave her a flat look and said, “Lady, if you’re high or something, then I don’t want you hanging around here. I don’t need anyone seeing any disreputable types here and spreading nasty rumors about my business.”

She was certainly not high! She wasn’t even drunk right now! Ugh, that was besides the point. This guy was too hard to read. She couldn’t tell if he was playing dumb or if he really didn’t remember anything. She took another look around the shop to see if she could at least spot something that might give her any info, and noticed the same vest that Jack was wearing was hanging on a rack. So that confirmed he got at least some of the equipment here. Maybe Iwai had some real weapons hidden out of sight, but she didn’t think he’d react well if she tried to ask about it.

Time to cut her losses for now. She knew where to find him, and she could always come back if she thought of a new angle that he might respond to. For now she just pulled out a business card and said, “Well, if you remember anything about the Christmas Eve mess, just give me a call.” She took a couple steps closer to offer him the business card, and when he made no move to take it, she put it on the counter instead. With a smile and a wave, she turned to go.

* * *

While trying to look for any info on Jack or that woman who’d been with him, Ohya tried asking around for anyone who remembered anything about Christmas Eve. If she and Mishima remembered, someone else had to, right?

Pretty soon that assumption seemed doubtful. She had no leads, so when none of her regular contacts had any info, she was stuck with asking random people on the street. And either nobody she talked to remembered, or they weren’t saying anything. 

She knew full well that the Phantom Thieves were almost definitely key to all this, so her best bet for getting answers was to talk directly to a Phantom Thief. But Amamiya wasn’t answering her texts, and given that he’d probably just saved the city with whatever he’d done, she didn’t feel like stalking him to get answers. The kid deserved a break. And that meant she had to look elsewhere for now.

As much as she wanted to look into this full-time, there wasn’t a publishable story here if nobody remembered. At best she’d get into conspiracy theory tabloids, the kind that would publish anything if it was sufficiently weird. So she had to focus mostly on her usual work, and could only pursue the Christmas Eve info on the side.

That’s why it took several days to get new info, but eventually she found out that “grey-haired professional young woman” meant prosecutor Sae Niijima. At least she was easy to find, since she was reportedly a workaholic and could be found at the Public Prosecutor’s Office every day.

* * *

12/31  
Evening  
Public Prosecutor’s Office

Ohya ended up hanging around outside the Prosecutor’s Office, watching everyone who went in and out of the building while trying not to freeze. She’d heard that Niijima often, but not always, stayed late at work, which meant that Ohya had to show up near the end of the work day and be prepared to wait for hours. 

She supposed it was fortunate that it wasn't quite two hours before Niijima stepped out of the office. As the prosecutor turned to head for the nearby parking garage, Ohya approached her with a cheery smile. “Prosecutor Niijima, right? Might I have a moment?”

Niijima took one look at the reporter, clearly noting the camera she carried everywhere. Then without slowing her pace, she said, “I’m not at liberty to discuss any ongoing cases. If you’re looking to report on any of them, contact our PR department.” 

“Nah, I’m not here in any official capacity,” Ohya assured her. “Just trying to satisfy my own curiosity. I wanted to ask you about what happened on Christmas Eve.”

This time there was a slight hitch in Niijima’s stride, but then she continued walking, perhaps a touch faster than before. “I don’t believe there’s anything to talk about,” she replied.

Noting the reaction that was subdued but definitely _there,_ Ohya pressed, “Not even the crazy weather?” 

Keeping her eyes fixed on the sidewalk head, Niijima replied, “The snow? While it’s not particularly common in Tokyo, I wouldn’t call it crazy.”

“You know I mean that red rain. I’m pretty sure the forecast for that day didn’t say ‘Cloudy with a chance of Apocalypse.’” Ohya tried a joke to see if it would make the prosecutor lighten up.

Unfortunately, the other woman remained stone-faced. “I don’t have the time to entertain such fairy tales, and neither should you.”

They were getting very close to the garage now, so Ohya was running out of time to try and get something out of her. She was getting desperate enough for answers that for once, she decided to try blunt honesty. So in a tone that was (for her) unusually serious, Ohya said, “Listen, I’m just trying to understand it all, for my own peace of mind. I know full well that almost nobody remembers it all, so it’s not like I could write a story on it even if I wanted. I know I saw you there, fighting monsters with those other three. You’ve got to have some idea what was going on. So please tell me, _what was all of that?_ ” She found it sounded a bit like she was pleading at the end, then found she didn’t care, as long as it got her answers.

Niijima actually slowed a bit, her face softening just slightly from its practiced indifference. For a moment Ohya was hopeful that she’d finally learn something new. Then Niijima said carefully, “If anything did happen on that day, I think all that anyone would need to know is that it will not be repeated.” 

And then they were at the parking garage. Niijima swiped her ID to open the side door, and Ohya didn’t try to slip through after her. She just stood there for a moment, considering what Niijima’s answer really said. She knew something. And if Ohya figured out the right way to appeal to her, she might let something more spill. She couldn’t help wondering what the other woman might know. What the Phantom Thieves had done? What exactly she and the other three had been fighting? Who Jack was?

Alright, Niijima was still a solid lead. Ohya smiled to herself and turned to head for home. Tonight she’d celebrate the new year with a few good drinks. But first thing next year, she was determined to seriously start investigating what Sae Niijima knew about Christmas Eve, the Phantom Thieves, and Jack.


End file.
